Press Releases

The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) is closely monitoring Hurricane Zeta. Currently, all 99 drainage pumps are available for service.

Regarding power, Turbines 1,3, and 6 are available as well as all 5 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) generators and all frequency changers. Turbine 3 is designated for emergency use only. Turbine 4 unexpectedly went offline yesterday and is currently undergoing inspection in preparation for repairs. It will not be available for this weather event. This means areas that normally flood during heavy rain events could take longer to drain, depending on rain intensity and coverage.

Due to the lack of power redundancy, we will increase staffing to ensure that all teams are working cohesively in order to ensure a swift and appropriate response to any unforeseen situations. Our teams will coordinate to effectively utilize every kilowatt of power we have available to reduce flood risk associated with intense rainfall.

Today we began our daily emergency preparation meetings with department managers. All SWBNO employees are prepared and ready to switch to emergency operations as the situation develops.

We encourage residents to follow @SWBNewOrleans on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates throughout the event.