New Orleans hurricane center still not close to open

In something that will likely not come as a surprise to residents of New Orleans, a planned command center for emergency operations in the event of a hurricane that was scheduled to be ready last Monday is nowhere near ready.

In pictures provided by WWL, the site looks more like a recent renovation than what is supposed to be the nerve center for communications should a devastating storm return to the city.

WWL’s Scott Satchfield reports

When hurricanes threaten emergency operations centers, or EOC’s, across the state are the nerve centers for first responders and emergency managers. It’s where they come together to make key decisions for public safety.

That won’t be happening anytime soon inside the space that is designated to become the New Orleans’ new emergency operations center.

Located on the ninth floor of City Hall, it’s mostly empty aside from some wires hang from the ceiling, and piles of broken concrete sitting on the floor.

It was supposed to be ready by Monday, the first day of hurricane season.

While an office exists now, there is a very urgent need for the delays that have put off this new site’s construction to be removed and work to go forward. Though it will obviously not be in place for this year, one can only hope it will be operational in 2010.

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