New Orleans could soon see power restored after days in the dark
CBSN
Some of the more than 1 million Louisiana residents who lost power during Hurricane Ida could soon see it restored after spending nearly a week in the dark. After a complete assessment of New Orleans' damage by electric company Entergy, many neighborhoods in the state's most populated city can expect to have electricity again by Wednesday, the company announced Friday.
"We recognize the hardship this historic storm has wrought on our communities and across our region," Rod West, Entergy's president of utility operations, said Friday in a statement. "We ask that our customers remain safe, and we appreciate their extended patience. Please know that thousands of employees and contractors are currently in the field working day and night to restore power. We will continue working until every community is restored." Since Ida's landfall on Sunday, nearly 26,000 professionals from across the country have worked to repair infrastructure and assess damage. They have also successfully restored power to approximately 225,000 customers so far, according to Entergy. The Category 4 storm killed at least 10 people in Louisiana before moving to the Northeast, where it unleashed deadly tornadoes and flooding.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.