NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Some New Orleans businesses are trying to get back to business after a water main break.
The break occurred Wednesday afternoon at the intersection of Carondelet Street and Clio Street.
The burst pipe produced high water along the street and a boil advisory.
According to a a spokesperson for the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, the water main was damaged when crews were performing work related to the Joint Infrastructure Recovery Roads (JIRR) Central City B Project.
The spokesperson also said water was restored at 2:45 a.m. Thursday after crews flushed the 12-inch water main through a fire hydrant.
At the nearby New Orleans Mission, workers could barely their eyes on Wednesday.
“I actually found out it happened because our Mission media guy posted a video and said that it was flooding in New Orleans, and I thought it was a joke, that it was an old video from a flood, but it actually was current,” New Orleans Mission development director Brandi Galatas said.
The owners of Maïs Arepas were forced to close after lunch Wednesday as the water reached their doorstep.
The restaurant remained closed for 24 hours, which was news to some lunch customers who approached a locked door on Thursday. They’re wondering how something like this can happen.
“I’m just wondering what our priorities are as a city, like what are we doing? What are we fixing? Our infrastructure is terrible. Our crime is awful,” Jonathon Thomason, who planned on eating lunch at Maïs Arepas Thursday, said. “What are we doing? Where are we placing our priorities?”
Prior to the water main break, the area had been under construction for months, according to Galatas.
“It was just really upsetting because we finally felt like they made some headway and then kind of gone backwards.”
Those who work and live in the area are hoping for a swift cleanup.
“We believe that we have a strong community here and that everybody’s just doing their best to make this better, and the hope is that the leadership will take charge of this and handle it sooner than later,” Galatas said.
