Hurricane Ida has done much damage to southern Louisiana. There is no electricity in New Orleans.
Numerous comparisons are being made between 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and 2021’s Hurricane Ida.
In March 2018, the New Orleans City Council approved a very controversial proposal for a new gas plant in East New Orleans. Opponents, many of whom were people of color, protested, saying that alternate sources of energy, such as wind and solar, would be a better option (https://wgno.com/2018/03/08/city-council-approves-construction-of-controversial-entergy-plant-in-new-orleans-east/). The matter seems to be one of environmental justice.
Then Mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell voted in favor of the project.
So we asked associate solitary reporter Susanna Sherman, who is very good at investigating things that need to be investigated, to talk with Cantrell about how things are today.
“Susanna,” Cantrell said, “it’s easier to weigh in on the side of the people with power, and in this situation, the people with power were the proponents of the gas plant.”
“Unfortunately, it will take some time to get power back to New Orleans.”
Cantrell wouldn’t say whether she was wrong about her 2018 decision.