More pumps come up in New Orleans
06:14 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 7, 2005
Associated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was making progress in repairing pumps around New Orleans on Wednesday.
By midday, 23 of the 148 permanent pumps were working in New Orleans, said Dan Hitchings of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Three of the 28 pumps in St. Bernard Parish were working, he said.
Water levels were falling, but Hitchings said he didn't know how much more water had to be pumped out.
John Hall, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said it was not clear how long it would be before all the pumps would be up and running.
"There's a long way to go. We need to get a lot more capacity on line to make a real difference," said Hall, though he noted that some water was draining by gravity.
Possible damage to the pumps from debris remained a concern.
If the water pumps get blocked and begin sucking air, it can damage them, he said.
"Debris is a real concern, and we need to make sure we can get it away," Hall said.
