All around broken and crooked power poles after Hurricane Ida

NEW ORLEANS – Ida and last year’s hurricane season did the power poles in the area a disservice. You don’t have to look far to see one that might require some attention. People in town say they need to be fixed.

Whether on Veterans Boulevard, Marigny or along Magazine Street, bent or broken electricity pylons can be found everywhere.

“For Ida, many of the bars that were broken, that had failed and needed to be replaced weren’t installed until last fall,” said Drew Ward. “A mast with an expected lifespan of 50 years cannot fail immediately if it is not installed correctly.”

Ward lives in New Orleans and says no matter where he is in town there are masts that need to be fixed.

“You don’t have to be an engineer to see that something tilted this way isn’t installed properly,” said Ward.

He noticed that the bars were replaced after Zeta came down in Ida. And some of the new ones that were replaced after Ida are already ajar.

“If you take a pole and start pulling it in one direction, there is nothing you can do to keep it from falling any more,” said Ward. “And some lean up to 30 degrees to the point where it’s only a matter of time before they fall on someone’s car and kill them.”

We spoke to District A councilor Joe Giarrusso. He tells eyewitness news that his constituents have raised their concerns. A statement sent by him reads: “While electricity pylons are the responsibility of the utility company, my office reports complaints about overturned, damaged, or rotting pylons to the utility companies. In the month following Hurricane Ida, we received a number of reports of problematic electricity pylons, but these complaints have slowed. Despite the slowdown, we continue to forward complaints about problematic utility poles to utility companies. “

“A full system-wide survey of each replaced mast needs to be performed,” says Ward.

The solution lies in the hands of the respective utility companies such as Entergy or ATT. Ward says, however, the problem needs to be fixed now, not later. That way, New Orleans and the surrounding area are ready when the next storm comes.

“By installing these in this way, we are preparing for a failure, for another massive power failure over the board,” he said.

We contacted Entergy and AT&T who have not yet responded.

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