Other Louisiana and Gulf Coast utilities have faced similar disasters, sometimes needing to rebuild entire networks. The isolation of metro New Orleans has always made power supply tricky, because there aren’t enough power plants inside the area to meet needs. The utility says it builds new transmission towers to withstand winds up to 150 mph, but the company has said its oldest towers were only designed to withstand 100 mph (160 kph) winds. While Louisiana encourages burying local distribution lines in new developments, studies have suggested that burying high voltage transmission lines could cost billions. There are also questions about feasibility, Kury said, because underground transmission lines can overheat and be damaged by water.
