City of New Orleans Provides Updates on Hurricane Francine Impacts, Clean-Up and Recovery Information

September 12, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

City of New Orleans Provides Updates on Hurricane Francine Impacts, Clean-Up and Recovery Information

The City of New Orleans today provided an update on the impacts in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, which made landfall yesterday evening in Orleans Parish and the Southeastern Louisiana area. City, state and federal agencies began damage assessments early this morning and are continuing to do so throughout this week. Below is a list of agency updates with relevant safety and recovery information. 

EMERGENCY AND NON-EMERGENCY RESPONSE

To report any emergency, all residents should call 9-1-1. For other less emergent issues, residents can call the non-emergency line at (504)821-2222.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency or shortness of breath, call 9-1-1. If you need an oxygen tank exchange and do not have power, call the non-emergency line (504)821-2222.

AT&T reports an issue impacting AT&T VOIP customers. AT&T VOIP customers in the area may not be able to connect to 9-1-1. Customers experiencing difficulties should call (504)671-3600.

Residents needing assistance that is accessible to their needs can call the following hotlines:

• Deaf Disaster Hotline
  • Video phone number 1(800)985-5990
• Disability Disaster Hotline
  • 1(800)626-4959
  • Email [email protected]

POWER OUTAGES

As of early this afternoon, there were approximately 47,000 power outages reported for Orleans Parish. Entergy New Orleans is working as efficiently as possible to restore lost power. They are in the process of assessing the scale of the damage and moving quickly to make repairs with pre-staged crews to restore most critically damaged areas first.

For more information, visit Entergy Storm Center - Stay informed and stay safety aware (entergynewsroom.com) or call 1-800-9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243) to report downed power lines.

The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) have notified the public that all pumps are back online. Turbines 4, 5 and 6 are all online and SWBNO teams worked quickly and decisively to make up for pump outages with self-generated power sources and backup generators. EMDs are now offline and, coupled with the extended amount of rainfall, has prolonged the drainage of water off the streets.

Residents are asked to continue to limit water usage at home in order to prevent sewerage backups. That means doing a little less laundry and running the dishwasher fewer times. All wastewater is collected at our sewage pump stations throughout the city.

Visit the SWBNO Storm Center at www.swbno.org/News/StormCenter for up-to-date information. SWBNO Emergency Hotline remains staffed and available 24/7. Customers can report leaks and other water-related emergencies by calling 52-WATER.

EMERGENCY RESOURCE CENTERS

The following New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission recreation centers will be open as Emergency Resource Centers today, Sept. 12 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. for information, cooling and device charging:

• Joe Brown Recreation Center, 5601 Read Blvd.
  • Spanish and Vietnamese interpretation services are available at this site.
• Treme Community Recreation Center, 900 N. Villere St.
• Cut-Off Recreation Center, 6600 Belgrade St.
• Rosenwald Recreation Center, 1120 S. Broad St.
  • Spanish interpretation services are available at this site.

All Emergency Resource Centers are open to both people and pets.

COMMUNITY LIGHTHOUSES

Additionally, Together New Orleans has activated the following Community Lighthouse locations for cooling and device charging:

• Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1823 Washington Ave, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Broadmoor Community Church, 2021 S Dupre St, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• City of Love, 3810 Leonidas St, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
• Community Church Unitarian Universalist, 6690 Fleur De Lis Dr, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Cornerstone United Methodist Church, 5276 Bullard Ave, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
• First Grace, United Methodist Church, 3401 Canal St, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Household of Faith, 9300 I-10 Service Rd, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
• Trinity Community Center, 3908 Joliet St, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Many of these sites need volunteers. If you would like to volunteer at a Community Lighthouse, please sign up at https://www.togethernola.org/storm_response.

For more information, visit www.togethernola.org.

DAMAGED HOMES AND BUSINESSES

There have been some reports of structural damage to homes and businesses. Those with damage are asked to report information and photos to the State of Louisiana online survey at http://damage.la.gov.

That information will help local, state and federal officials understand the level of damage in Orleans Parish, as well as across the state. Completion of this survey is not an application for or guarantee of assistance, nor does it initiate a claim to your insurance provider. Contact information will be used to provide information on resources available as well as how to apply for any assistance that may be available.

Please take the City's Office of Economic Development Post-Hurricane Francine Survey for non-3-1-1 business needs and to facilitate the delivery of business resources. For businesses continuity insurance and other purposes, the City's Mayoral Emergency Declaration can be viewed here.

ROADWAY CLEARING AND DEBRIS REMOVAL

The Departments of Parks and Parkways, Sanitation and Public Works (DPW), as well as New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control Board, are working together with Entergy New Orleans to clear debris from roadways, prioritizing major thoroughfares. DPW is also monitoring impacts to traffic signals and signs, as well as the need for streetlight repairs and removal of flooded vehicles from the right-of-way. Residents are reminded to stay off the roads as much as possible, to use extreme caution around debris and to treat intersections with lights out as four-way stops.

Neutral ground parking restrictions are suspended until 6 p.m. today, Sept. 12. Residents are reminded not to block intersections, bike paths or streetcar tracks.

Please call 3-1-1 to report downed trees, traffic light outages and street light outages.

Call 1-800-968-8243 for downed power lines.

Additionally, the City of New Orleans activated its post-storm debris removal contract to conduct storm-related cleanup. Small branches and yard waste can be cut, bundled and placed curbside on your regular collection day. Residents are asked to collect major storm debris and place between the sidewalk and the street following the guidelines outlined below:

• HOUSEHOLD SOLID WASTE
  • Trash & recycling carts
  • Bagged trash
• STORM DEBRIS
  • Drywall
  • Lumber
  • Plywood
  • Pipe
  • Shingles
  • Carpet
  • Furniture
  • Mattresses
• VEGETATIVE DEBRIS
  • Branches
  • Leaves and grass
  • Logs
• HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES
  • Doors of household appliances, like refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryings, A/C units, etc., must be secured

As a reminder, commercial properties and those serviced by private trash contracts are responsible for their own debris removal. Please do not block intersections, sidewalks or fire hydrants.

Volunteer organizations are offering assistance to residents needing helping clearing debris. If you would like to request assistance with debris or damage from Hurricane Francine, please call the Crisis Clean Up Hotline at 1(800) 451-1954.

They will connect you with volunteers from local organizations who can assist with fallen trees, tarping roofs and debris removal. All services are free. Assistance is not guaranteed and depends on the volume of requests. The hotline will remain operational through Sept. 27.

WASTE & RECYCLING COLLECTION

Trash and recycling collections resumed on Thursday, Sept. 12 and will run a day behind schedule for the remainder of the week:

• Trash and recycling collection for Wednesday, Sept. 11 locations will occur on Thursday, Sept. 12
• Trash and recycling collection for Thursday, Sept. 12 locations will occur on Friday, Sept. 13
• Trash and recycling collection for Friday, Sept. 13 location will occur on Saturday, Sept. 14

For regular Wednesday collection areas only: please call 3-1-1 to report any trash and recycling that has not yet been collected.

REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY

New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) announced this morning that RTA bus service is returning today, Sept. 12, with a limited schedule. Streetcars remain out of service, but limited bus service will be provided along the streetcar system until further notice as the power returns and roadway crews work to clear streetcar lines. Paratransit services will provide trips on an as-needed basis and work to support other City and government agencies as needed. Ferry service remains suspended until further notice. Due to a power outage, Rideline is currently out of service until further notice. RTA will continue to communicate service adjustments and other information at norta.com/francine, in real-time via its Le Pass app.

TIPS FOR RESIDENTS

The City encourages all residents to stay safe with the following tips:

• Residents are reminded to stay off the roads as much as possible, to use extreme caution around debris and to treat intersections with lights out as four-way stops
• Do not touch downed trees or power lines as wires may be energized
  • Report downed power lines immediately to 1-800-968-8243
• Operate generators safely:
  • Operate generators in well-ventilated locations outdoors away from all doors, windows and vent openings
  • Locate generators so that exhaust fumes cannot enter homes through windows, doors or other building openings
  • Do not refuel generators while they are running
  • Turn generators off and let them cool at least 20 minutes before refueling
  • Generators get extremely hot and will cause severe burns if not handled with caution
  • Do not store gas or flammable liquids in your home
  • Never try to power the house with a generator (back feeding); this is an extremely dangerous practice and could overload circuitry and burn down your home
• Residents conducting cleanup activities on their property are encouraged to operate chainsaws safely with the following tips: 
  • Be aware of overhead hazards such as power lines and dead limbs 
  • Wear eye protection, gloves and closed toe boots 
  • Avoid wearing loose clothing 
  • Do not cut anything above shoulder height 
  • Work with a partner when possible 
  • Do not refuel a hot chainsaw 
  • In the event of an accident, call 9-1-1 and hold direct pressure on wound 

Visit ready.nola.gov for updated information on Hurricane Francine response.  

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