‘Community Lighthouses’ powered by the sun and volunteers

LaPLACE, La. (AP) — Global warming is producing more extreme weather. That can mean extended power outages in places like New Orleans. A grassroots network is launching “Community Lighthouses” to meet the challenge. These solar-powered electricity hubs can provide a lifeline after a disaster, enabling neighbors to recharge phones and equipment and refrigerate medicines. Each lighthouse will be supported by a team of volunteers familiar with their neighborhood. Organizer Broderick Bagert said organizers felt powerless as the city struggled to deliver basics after Hurricane Ida last year.

He says instead of questioning why someone else doesn’t take care of the problem, “the real question is, ‘why don’t WE?'”

PHOTO INFO: In this photo taken on June 6, 2022, Neil Bernard, pastor of New Wine Christian Fellowship in LaPlace, La., gestures to where solar panels will be installed on the roof of part of his church. New Wine is part of the Community Lighthouse program designed to outfit select locations in southeast Louisiana with solar panels and batteries so they can maintain power in extended outages and serve as hubs to take care of people in their communities. (AP Photo/Rebecca Santana)

Source: AP – All contents copyright 2022 Associated Press.  All rights reserved.