get it later. energy companies have already begun evacuating and shutting down some of their offshore oil platforms. experts say they could take about 15% of the total u.s. refining capacity off-line. and in new orleans, all eyes are on these giant pumping stations which help move water out of the big easy. but the system has been plagued with recent mechanical problems and crews have been furiously working to get the issues fixed. city officials saying now more than 80% of them are operational and have confidence they will do their job for whatever nate brings their way. and according to the latest advisory from the national hurricane center tonight, 3-6 inches of rain is forecast and with isolated spots of a foot or so. some of the coastal areas could see a storm surge of 4-8 feet, which is why these sandbagging operations going on at this fire
so we order our people, our personnel to try try to help in any way they could as soon as they could make it to their work. the next couple of days, the roads will be clear. they will get their instructions. we will start rebuilding the power system. so you have power workers helping with search and rescue until power plants could be a place to go and start their job. everybody is chipping in. we understand that. what do you say to the people there? because time breeds desperation. no power means to cell phone. no sewage treatment. all of the things that people fend on in life. and the more time goes, the more scared they get. what do you say? well, i will tell them to rest assured at least that we will do the best we can. we will be working very hard. and by priorities. hospitals, water treatment plants, pumping stations,
the same level of priorities, we have the hospitals and water system, water treatment plants and pumping stations. we have a plan that will short ly bring power to at least the central medical center, which is our largest public facility for medical services and where the federal government and the federal health aid is going to be operating from. at least that center should have power within the next three days. so those hospitals, do they have i assume they have generators now? they do have generators, but those are emergency generators, they need to be stopped frequently for oil and filter changes. and some of them are somewhat outdated. even before the hurricane hit, i know your company was facing serious issues, including, but not limited to needing more than $4 billion to update outdated power plants. is that fair to say? you were facing big struggles before this?
conductors down. and we still have no communications with two of our power plants. so it s devastating. i mention in some areas, there s still flooding, even beginning to work on that is going to be difficult. how long do you foresee taking to get power restored. well, you know, we re working on priorities first and foremost. the same level of priorities, we have the hospitals and water system, water treatment plants and pumping stations. we have a plan will shortly bring power to at least the central medical center, which is our largest public facility for medical services and where the federal government and the health aid is going to be operating from. at least that center should have power within the next three days. so those hospitals, do they have i assume they have generators now? they do. but those are emergency generators, they need to be
get these temporary pumping stations working. the pumping station upstream was completely under water. it s got to be above water. it has motors in it. it shorted out. a secondary source, additional pumping stations off a well not far from here. they got flooded as well. that s how this all happened, jim and they ve got the best engineers in the world trying to fix this. brian, i remember during katrina, i lived on a boat a couple of weeks. getting a shower is not easy when in an area like that after that kind of devastation. i can understand why that woman there you were just talking to would say something like that. can you talk about that a little bit? just how it has been for you and other people that you ve come across? i mean, just dealing with the daily basics in life? just, i can t imagine what folks are going through down there. not able to take a shower. not able to turn on the faucet and get a drink of water? reporter: it s, of course, extremely difficult. very basic thi