New Orleans power to be restored by Wednesday, says utility company

Following Hurricane Ida, power in New Orleans will likely be restored by Wednesday, utility officials said on Friday.

While more than a million customers lost power, Entergy, the utility company that provides power to New Orleans, said almost everything should be back up and running by mid-week, the Associated Press reported.

A total of 14,000 damaged poles, over 2,200 broken transformers and 150 destroyed transmission structures are being repaired by more than 25,000 workers from 40 states, according to the wire service.

"Please know that thousands of employees and contractors are currently in the field working day and night to restore power. We will continue working until every community is restored," said a group president for utility operations, Rod West.

South and west of New Orleans were hit harder by Ida, and Lafourche Parish's sheriff's office warned those returning home that there was no running water or power, nearly no gasoline available, and little cellphone service, the AP reported.

"Residents can return to the parish outside of curfew times but are advised to come prepared with all provisions necessary to self-sustain," deputies posted on Facebook.

No promises were made by the utility company regarding when power would be back in the parishes outside of New Orleans.

On Friday, over 800,000 homes and businesses were still without power in southeast Louisiana, according to the Public Service Commission, which is down from the peak of 1.1 million when Ida hit.

Since the storm, several people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, which is possible when using generators improperly, according to the AP.

"The most dangerous part of a hurricane is after the storm," said Deanna Rodriguez, Entergy New Orleans CEO, who cautioned people when using generators. "Here it's sadly happening again."