Rice, who was clearly in damage-control mode as New Orleanians' frustration with power outages affec

In a forecast that will probably get few cheers, Entergy New Orleans CEO Charles Rice said in a news conference at City Hall this afternoon that he expects 70 percent of households should have power by Monday, and 90 percent by Wednesday. Rice hastened to add that those estimates were "very conservative."
Hurricane Isaac: The Iberville housing development remains southwest airlines flight reservations without electricty with the lit up New Orleans skyline in the background in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac on Saturday, southwest airlines flight reservations September 1, 2012.
Rice, who was clearly in damage-control mode as New Orleanians' frustration southwest airlines flight reservations with power outages affecting more than half the city in Isaac's wake mount, noted that power started going out in many households as early as Monday night. But because Isaac lingered so long, workers weren't able to begin restoration work until Thursday, he said. So today is only the third day of repair work.
He noted that 65,000 customers have had their power restored so far, and that 1,828 workers are on the job, including 1,400 linemen and 428 support workers. He also offered a detailed catalog of the damage the storm inflicted, including 150 downed power poles and 28 blown transformers.
City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell -- who chairs the council's Utilities Committee, which regulates Entergy New Orleans -- said that she has demanded that Entergy produce a neighborhood-by-neighborhood prognosis that will show residents when they can expect to have their power on. People who are likely to be without power for days need to know so that they can make alternate plans, such as bunking with a relative or booking a hotel room, she said.
Hedge-Morrell has called an emergency meeting at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the matter. The meeting southwest airlines flight reservations will be of the "committee as a whole," or the entire City Council sitting as a committee, southwest airlines flight reservations according to Councilwoman Susan Guidry.
Rice noted that many New Orleanians have complained about seeing some Entergy line workers and subcontractors standing around rather than working. Rice said there are valid reasons why workers don't always appear to be busy: Safety southwest airlines flight reservations is paramount, southwest airlines flight reservations he said, and sometimes worker might be waiting for a downed tree limb or another hazard to be clear.
Unlike John Young, his counterpart in Jefferson Parish, Mayor Mitch Landrieu did not take direct aim at Entergy's southwest airlines flight reservations response thus far. Jefferson Parish is served by Entergy Louisiana, a sister company of Entergy New Orleans, and Young has asked the Public Service Commission, which regulates Entergy Louisiana, to investigate the company.
City Council President Stacy Head said in a phone interview that the council will hold postmortem hearings on the response southwest airlines flight reservations by the utility - which is regulated by the council - to Isaac. She said it appears at first blush that Entergy did a good job of mobilizing assets in advance of the storm, but that restoration southwest airlines flight reservations efforts have been less than robust.
Hedge-Morrell sent out a prepared statement that read, in part: "Entergy's inability to provide an assessment of the amount of work that must be done in each council southwest airlines flight reservations district and a reasonable timeline for completion has left the citizens of New Orleans angry and frustrated -- and rightly so," the statement said. "Citizens across the city deserve to know the status of repairs in their neighborhood so they can make informed decisions."