We've already done this drill

 I think I mentioned yesterday that the situation with the power in New Orleans is a repeat of what happened during Hurricane Gustav. I wasn't making that up.

This is not the first time the utility's transmission lines into the city have failed during a significant storm. In 2008, Hurricane Gustav knocked out all but one of Entergy's lines into the city, leaving nearly a million homes and businesses without power. Only about 41 percent of the customers who lost power during Gustav had power back within 10 days.

 The utility faced criticism in the aftermath of that storm for not doing more to upgrade and maintain its lines to give them the strength to survive a severe storm. And similar questions are likely to arise in the coming weeks and months from the New Orleans City Council, Entergy New Orleans' primary regulator.

 

There was supposed to have been a fix for this problem by now but it turns out what was sold as a fix is actually barely even a "plan B" now. 

Entergy's "Plan B" would be to start restoring customers with power supplied directly by its New Orleans East and Westwego Ninemile 6 power plants.

 Entergy's argument when it got approval for the controversial New Orleans East gas-fired plant from the City Council three years ago was that it would be available for crises like the present one.