The cause of Sunday’s 34-minute Super Bowl power outage may still be a mystery, but documents show that Superdome officials had been warned months earlier about the subpar electrical system and the need for overhaul.
As far back as October, Superdome officials worried about losing power during the Super Bowl, The Associated Press reported. State officials, AP said, wrote a memo on Oct. 15 expressing concern over decaying lines and utility tests that showed “a chance of failure.” The utility company that supplies the stadium with power also expressed concern, according to the memo.
Sunday’s power shutdown was an embarrassment for New Orleans, which was trying to boost its image in the wake of devastations that stemmed from Hurricane Katrina, AP reported.
The exact cause of the power loss will likely take days to determine, one utility official said, in the AP report.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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