New Orleans faced a major power outage on Sunday, May 25, 2025, leaving more than 100,000 residents without electricity. The outage wasn’t caused by weather or technical failure but instead by an emergency load-shed order. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) issued the directive to Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana to prevent the grid from becoming overloaded.
The sudden nature of the blackout, right in the middle of Memorial Day weekend, caused disruptions across neighborhoods, festivals, and daily life.
Why Did the Power Go Out?
This wasn’t a random glitch. The blackout came after MISO, which helps manage the power grid across several states, ordered a quick reduction in power use. Entergy, the local utility company, had to cut power in several areas immediately.
Here’s what we know:
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The order came with only a few minutes' notice.
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More than 100,000 customers lost electricity in New Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines parishes.
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City leaders were not warned in advance, which left them and residents unprepared.
Councilmember Joseph Giarrusso expressed concern over how little warning the city got — reportedly just 3 minutes. That kind of short notice made it nearly impossible to let people know what was coming.
How the Outage Affected the City
The outage had a huge impact because of how sudden it was. People were caught off guard, especially with the hot weather and big holiday events happening. One example was the New Orleans Greek Festival, which lost power for hours.
Here are a few real-world effects people experienced:
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Businesses had to shut down or operate without power.
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Families were left without air conditioning during high temperatures.
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Traffic lights were out, causing dangerous driving conditions.
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Some people relied on friends, neighbors, or local businesses to stay cool.
Restaurants like Toup’s Meatery stepped in to help, offering air-conditioned spaces for people needing relief from the heat.
What’s Being Done to Fix It?
Entergy crews worked quickly to get the power back on. By 7 PM the same day, most neighborhoods had electricity restored. A few areas, like parts of St. Bernard Parish, took a little longer.
Entergy encouraged customers to:
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Use their mobile app or website to track updates
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Stay safe by treating dark traffic signals as four-way stops
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Report any remaining outages or downed lines immediately
Officials say they’re looking into what happened and how future load-shed events can be better handled — especially when it comes to giving people enough warning.
