City of New Orleans, LA

09/26/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/26/2024 10:15

City of New Orleans Highlights Impact of Community Lighthouses After Hurricane Francine

September 26, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

City of New Orleans Highlights Impact of Community Lighthouses After Hurricane Francine

In the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, the City of New Orleans celebrates Together New Orleans' activation of Community Lighthouses as essential hubs of support during and after disasters. Funded in part by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Wisner Donation Funds, these post-emergency resource centers played a vital role after Hurricane Francine left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power, emphasizing the City's commitment to community preparedness and resilience.

Together New Orleans staff, members, and volunteers were able to offer essential services such as charging stations for electronic devices, food distribution, cooling stations, and oxygen exchange.

Impact Highlights:

  • 9 Community Lighthouses were open in New Orleans after Hurricane Francine
  • 8 of these lighthouses were activated within 10-12 hours after storm landfall on morning of Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024
  • 4 of the 9 lighthouses operated off-grid, powered by solar and storage microgrid systems
  • Served approximately 900 people at Community Lighthouse locations
  • Distributed approximately 1400 meals and 2000 bottles of water
  • Deployed 16 battery generators
  • Conducted needs survey with responses from 1995 people
  • 70 percent reported power outages where they live
  • 66 percent reported needing access to a place with electricity to cool off
  • 12.2 percent reported someone in their household having a medical device and no way to power them
  • Organized over 100 volunteers to support these emergency response efforts

Since Hurricane Ida made landfall in 2021, Together New Orleans (TNO), a broad-based coalition of congregations and community-based organizations, has led the nation in implementing their Community Lighthouse project, providing commercial-scale solar power and back-up battery capacity to churches and community centers to expand emergency response efforts. Over the summer, TNO and city leaders celebrated the launch of Sisters of the Holy Family Motherhouse in New Orleans East as the 15th Community Lighthouse in southeast Louisiana, the 12th in New Orleans area, and the seventh location utilizing funds from the City of New Orleans.

Through a mix of Wisner Donation Funds and ARPA dollars, the City of New Orleans has invested $2 million for the creation of eight Community Lighthouses across Orleans Parish. Since the passing of the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, the City of New Orleans has obligated $310 million and spent $264 million in investments to make city operations more sustainable and resilient as of August 2024. Additionally, the City of New Orleans secured over $131 million in federal grants through the Infrastructure & Investments Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, supporting growth in more sustainable energy, transportation, waste and recycling, and mitigation measures.

For more information on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) at work in the City of New Orleans, visit https://nola.gov/arpa.

For more about the Community Lighthouse project, visit https://www.togethernola.org/.