Francine’s wind and rain lashed the dark neighborhoods, flooding them as Lee and Bailey almost decided to slog through hours of traffic to evacuate and stay with relatives in Texas.
Together Louisiana, North Louisiana Interfaith Break Ground on 17th Community Lighthouse in Shreveport
Over the last two years, faith, labor and civic institutions across Louisiana have built the largest network of solar-powered resilience hubs in the world, in partnership with the Industrial Areas Foundation. With a fresh investment of $500,000, they launched their 17th community lighthouse.
[Excerpts]
Two more Shreveport churches now have the financial support needed to transform themselves into solar-powered disaster shelters after a Caddo Parish Commission vote.
The Commission at its Thursday meeting approved using $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to make Galilee Baptist Church and Willow Chute Baptist Church into "Community Lighthouses," doubling the number of solar-powered neighborhood hubs set to be operating in Shreveport in the coming year...
Read moreAfter Hurricane Francine, 9 'Together Louisiana' Community Lighthouses Provide Vital Support
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Then they remembered their neighborhood church still had its lights on. Inside First Grace United Methodist Church they found an air-conditioned refuge, a place to plug in their devices. They were able to charge the breathing machine and go back to sleep in their own home.
First Grace is part of the Community Lighthouse Project, an initiative born of hurricanes, to provide essentials like functioning electrical outlets and air conditioning to people facing blackouts, by building out solar panels on church roofs. The nonprofit Together New Orleans founded the project to turn the buildings into microgrids, meaning they generate and store their own electricity when the grid is down. There are now nine operating in New Orleans with a plan to expand to 86 across the city and 500 across the state....
Climate Solution: In the Swelter of Hurricane Blackouts, Some Churches Stay Cool on Clean Power, Washington Post [pdf]
Solar-Powered 'Lighthouses' Stayed Lit for Hurricane Francine. What Does It Mean for Bigger Storms?, Times-Picayune [pdf]
Solar 'Lighthouse' Project Underwent First Real Test in Hurricane Francine, Louisiana Illuminator [pdf]
Hurricane Francine: After-Action Report, Together New Orleans [pdf]
TNO, Sisters of the Holy Family Make Community Solar Strategy Sustainable in New Orleans
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City consultants, the energy provider and major industries did not see how they would benefit from this project. Consultants for the city of New Orleans conducted a study in 2018 to determine the viability of community solar projects and an appropriate rate for reimbursement. But their calculations were so low that no one applied, including the Sisters of the Holy Family, who could not envision the low rate of return as financially feasible for them.
So the Sisters of the Holy Family and Together New Orleans met with the local energy provider and members of the city council, "every one of them, all seven," according to Costa, and were finally able to move the city council to vote in October 2023 for a more sustainable rate of reimbursement that would benefit the sisters and their neighbors.
Up until then, according to Bagert, "the program existed on paper, but not a single solar project had been created in New Orleans. We would be a test case. This is the only viable solar project in the South."
[Photo Credit: Kevin Fitzpatrick, Earthbeat]
Holy Family Sisters Plan 22-Acre Community Solar Project in Louisiana, Earthbeat (a project of the National Catholic Reporter)
US DOE Secretary Joins Together LA for Lighthouse Launch
Sec. Granholm: Community Lighthouse Resilience Hub is "testament to the power of grassroots organizations"
Together Louisiana-IAF was joined by US Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at a celebration marking the launch of their seventh and largest Community Lighthouse Project at New Wine Christian Fellowship in LaPlace, Louisiana.
The launch follows on the heels of a $249 Million federal investment in Louisiana to strengthen grid resilience, announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The funding will be matched by $249 Million in locally raised funding.
Read moreTogether New Orleans Builds Power with the Sun
[Excerpt]
The Community Lighthouse Project is equipping churches, health clinics and other community spaces with solar panels and batteries, so they don’t need to rely on grid power and faulty generators to stay open in emergencies. The nonprofit undertaking the project, Together New Orleans, ultimately wants to scatter 86 “lighthouses” throughout the state, so every resident lives within a 15-minute walk...
“We know everyone in the community within a mile or so radius that needs their breathing machine connected to electricity, or they have someone in a wheelchair or somebody that’s bed bound,” said Rev. Antoine Barriere, pastor of the Household of Faith Family Worship Church.
North Louisiana Interfaith Leverages $500,000 for Caddo Parish Community Lighthouse
North Louisiana Interfaith leaders erupted in applause as the Caddo Commission voted 8 to 4 to approve seed funding for two Community Lighthouse pilot locations. These Community Lighthouses will serve as beacons of hope during crises, immediately assessing the needs of the community and providing vital assistance to area residents. Among the services offered are cooling and heating stations, charging stations, food distribution, ice, water, and other supplies and services.
"The approval of seed funding for the Community Lighthouse project is a significant milestone for our community," said Pastor Theron Jackson, a clergy leader with North Louisiana Interfaith. "This is an example of what’s possible when everyday people come together and work with government to achieve something for the greater good. Community Lighthouses will not only provide essential services but also foster a sense of unity and resilience within our neighborhoods."
North Louisiana Interfaith Statement
Caddo Agrees to Put Up $500,000 toward Community Lighthouse Project, KSLA News 12 [pdf]
Caddo Parish to Vote on Community Lighthouse Pilot Program, KTBS 3 [pdf]
North Louisiana Interfaith Statement
Caddo Agrees to Put Up $500,000 toward Community Lighthouse Project, KSLA News 12 [pdf]
Caddo Parish to Vote on Community Lighthouse Pilot Program, KTBS 3 [pdf]
Together New Orleans Opens First Two Community Lighthouses, Lighting Way for Future Shelters
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"Community Lighthouse is an initiative of Together New Orleans, a coalition of 54 faith- and community-based organizations aiming to address issues ranging from access to healthy food to criminal justice reform. Organizers say they will have two more resiliency hubs up and running over the next three months, for a total of 16 by the peak of the 2023 hurricane season."
[Photo Credit: The New Orleans Advocate]
Two New Orleans Neighborhoods Get Solarpowered Shelters for When Electricity Fails, The New Orleans Advocate [pdf]