NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Joe Valiente, emergency management director for Jefferson Parish in Louisiana, about damage caused by Hurricane Zeta to the area.
Hurricane Zeta came ashore in Louisiana on Wednesday as a Category 2 storms. The hurricane strengthened before landfall and is expected to bring a storm surge up to 11 feet.
The early season arrival of a mix of rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain and gusty winds, which first struck on Monday night, caught public utility companies unprepared for the massive power losses.
Experts agree the Western U.S. needs to increase intentional burns to head off more catastrophic wildfire seasons. But economic, cultural and institutional barriers are in the way.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company is again shutting down electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes. The move is meant to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires during windy conditions.
Zeta is the 11th hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season, and would be the fifth named storm to make landfall in Louisiana this year — the most since the state started keeping records in 1851.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced a public safety power shutoff over the weekend as some of the strongest winds and driest conditions of this year's fire season sweep through the region.