. That can mean extended power outages in places like New Orleans. A grassroots network is launching “Community Lighthouses” to meet the challenge. LaPLACE, La. — — Enthusiastic church volunteer Sonia St. Cyr lost something she treasures during the blackout caused by— her independence, afforded her by the electric wheelchair she expertly maneuvers over bumpy city sidewalks.
“Community Lighthouses,” outfitted with roof solar panels and a battery pack to store energy, can serve as electricity hubs after a disaster, enabling neighbors to recharge batteries, power up phones or store temperature-sensitive medications.a non-partisan network of churches and groups that tries to fix community problems.
Each lighthouse should be able to connect with all of its neighborhood’s vulnerable people within 24 hours of an outage, Bagert said. Pastor Neil Bernard anticipates helping many more people at his New Wine Christian Fellowship in the New Orleans suburb of LaPlace. The church is a designated shelter of last resort in St. John the Baptist Parish, which was hard-hit during Ida.
Ice and wind storms as well as tropical weather can cause blackouts in places like Baltimore, which launched a similar project in 2015. The city has four locations fully outfitted with solar power and battery backup systems, and aims to have 30 in three years, the city’s climate and resilience planner, Aubrey Germ, said in an email.