There’s an old saying that there are only two absolutes in
life: Death and Taxes. I would like to add two more: while Mother Nature may
have a sense of humor, she certainly has no sense of irony, and there is no
recovery after a storm without electricity.
Despite the advance notice and early warnings that began
with 24/7 television coverage on Sunday, when Isaac was just a baby Tropical
Storm, and despite the repeated musings of Entergy’s President that there are “12,000
electrical workers here from 24 different states” ready to pick up the pieces
as soon as the winds die down, Entergy proved once again that it was either
woefully unprepared or is poorly managed.
As of 9:45am Sunday morning, 5 ½ days after Isaac touched
down on the Louisiana Coast, over 100,000 locations in Jefferson Parish are
still without electricity. The results for Entergy New Orleans, Entergy
Louisiana’s sister company that serves Orleans Parish, were even worse: over
107,000 were without power in Orleans.
Driving around East Jefferson on Saturday afternoon, I was
struck by the number of businesses that were still without electrical service.
Basic human needs like food and gasoline were not available because grocery
stores, gas stations and restaurants were sitting idly by waiting for
electricity.
While much less devastating than the levee-implosion of
Katrina, there was a similar sense of helplessness after Isaac. Stop signs
replaced street lights. The few grocery stores that were open did not have the
basic staples like bread, eggs and milk. The Salvation Army and Red Cross were
serving hot meals to those in need. There were lines on the East and WestBanks
of Jefferson Parish with thousands lined up for ice, water and MREs (a term
that I hoped I would never hear again). Garbage overflowed from the curbs of
Jefferson Parish homeowners as they were required to once again clean out their
refrigerators and freezers and dispose of rotted food.
Unlike Katrina, Isaac was a Category 1. While it lingered
over Louisiana and took it’s good sweet time before moving on (much like folks
shopping at Wal-Mart), it was still just a Category 1, a veritable mosquito
bite compared to the destruction caused by the Army Corps and Katrina.
After Katrina, there were trees down on almost every street.
Electric polls were either ripped from the ground or at angles looking like
little Leaning Towers of Pisa. The stench from the rotten food, disgusting
refrigerators and freezers, mold and death were everywhere. Businesses were
closed for weeks and months while owners and workers cleaned up and they, along
with residents, waited for Entergy.
And, after Isaac, we’re still waiting for Entergy.
Over 100,000 still without power. Electrical trucks sitting
idly in parking lots. Frustrated residents and business owners. And now, we can
add one more category to the list: frustrated politicians that have stopped
apologizing for Entergy.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, politicians in Jefferson and
Orleans couldn’t stop tripping over themselves telling every media outlet that
Entergy would be out there in full force as soon as the winds got below 35 mph.
Parish President John Young and Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni, and
others, repeatedly brought up the multiple briefings they had with Entergy
officials, parroted the “12,000 electrical workers from 24 states” line, and
patted Entergy on the back so much that they themselves may have actually
believed the words they were saying (a common problem among politicians).
Well, now the tide is turning.
Probably getting tired of hearing the constant complaints
from his constituents, President Young is now on the offensive lashing out at
Entergy.
"It is not usually our style to confront and criticize a company like Entergy," Young said. "But unfortunately it is necessary for us to do this at this time."
"We have gotten a lot of talk," from the power company, he said. "We have gotten little action."
If you don’t have your Political-speak Decoder Ring on, John Young
is getting mad.
"We would be ready to get back to business today, but for
Entergy," he said. "There's a lack of a sense of urgency."
It’s nice to see that our elected officials are finally
criticizing the Sacred Cow that is Entergy rather than apologizing for Entergy’s
lack of planning, poor response or management.
Young, in fact, has called on the Public Service Commission to
investigate and fine Entergy. He has also said that Entergy’s shareholders
should fire the company’s CEO.
He has also taken the additional steps of trying to lobby other
elected officials to support his cause. I’ve confirmed that Young called Kenner
Mayor Yenni to discuss garnering Yenni’s support (which will no doubt occur although
a little late in the game).
Political grandstanding? Maybe. But, while it may be the first
time that an elected official has chastised Entergy, it’s certainly not the
first time a politician has climbed up on a soapbox and after finally hearing
his constituents and seeing the way the political winds are blowing. It may
have taken a little prodding from his political consultant, a poll, or the
whining of his family members who may also be without power (or call me a cynic
but it could have been the complaints from his political contributors whose
businesses were still in the dark and not generating money to supply those
large political contributions), but, for whatever reason, John Young (and even
a late to the game Mike Yenni) are standing up for the frustrated masses in
Jefferson Parish.
Will Young’s protests do any good? Time will tell. Hopefully, we
won’t have to wait 7 years after Isaac for another poor performance from
Entergy. More importantly, the 100,000 in JP without power shouldn’t have to
wait another 7 hours without electricity.
