Massive Louisiana power outage affects thousands and disrupts Memorial Day weekend

A sudden power outage disrupted Memorial Day weekend across southeast Louisiana on 25 May, Sunday, leaving more than 100,000 residents without electricity at its peak. The blackout began around 4:30 pm and affected neighborhoods from Uptown and Mid-City to Lakeview, Metairie, and Terrytown, as well as parts of Jefferson, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes.

The outage was triggered by a “load shed” order from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the regional authority overseeing grid reliability. Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans were instructed to initiate controlled, periodic power cuts to prevent a more extensive and prolonged failure of the electrical grid.

“It’s just a really bad time for anyone to be without power,” said Lottie Summers, a New Orleans resident. “It’s suffering like we live in houses that are not insulated. We really need air conditioning to survive as a society, especially in New Orleans.”


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The blackout also disrupted the 50th annual New Orleans Greek Festival in Gentilly. As hundreds gathered to celebrate, the power went out for nearly three hours, halting food preparation and silencing music. “The electricity went out and we were unable to cook some of the food or provide air conditioning, but it's put a damper on things,” said festival organizer Alexandra Megilligan.

Response from the community

In response to the heat and lack of air conditioning, local business Toup’s Meatery opened its doors to provide a cool space for those affected. “We don't want anyone in our community to be suffering in any way, and that's kind of what New Orleans is all about, everyone helps each other,” Summers added.

City officials expressed frustration over the lack of timely communication regarding the outage. “Tonight, the regional transmission organization, MISO, ordered an immediate, forced, large-scale outage within the Entergy territory, leaving the utility with minimal notice,” stated City Council President JP Morrell, Council Vice President Helena Moreno, and Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis.

“The public deserves clear answers regarding the reasons behind this incident and the failure to provide timely alerts.”

Entergy, a major energy company, reported on Sunday that the load-shedding order had been lifted and power was being restored.