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Community Lighthouses

“Community lighthouses” are places where New Orleans residents can go to cool off and recharge during power outages.

A map of the southeastern US shows an inset of solar panels pointing to New Orleans.
© Peter Hermes Furian/Dreamstime.com, © Eloi Omella—E+/Getty Images; Photo illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The community lighthouses of New Orleans use solar panels to keep the lights on.

Electricity is important in every city, but it may be especially crucial in a place like New Orleans, Louisiana. Located on the southeastern coast of the United States, New Orleans gets extremely hot and humid in the summer and early fall. When the electricity shuts off, so does the air conditioning—and that can be dangerous. That’s why an organization called Together Louisiana is setting up “community lighthouses,” places where New Orleans residents can go to cool off and recharge during power outages.

So far, Together Louisiana has opened a handful of community lighthouses at medical centers, community centers, and churches. A total of 86 lighthouses will have solar panels that will collect the Sun’s energy when the skies are clear. Some solar energy will be used all year, and some will be stored in batteries that can provide power when the city’s main power grid isn’t working.

Exterior of a brick church with a sign reading Broadmoor Church.

Infrogmation of New Orleans (CC BY 2.0)

Broadmoor Church is one of the first community lighthouses in New Orleans.

New Orleans is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, a frequent target for hurricanes. Power outages are common between August and October, the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. More than one million people lost power during 2021’s Hurricane Ida, mostly in Louisiana. With no air conditioning or electric fans, some people died in the extreme heat. Gregory Manning, the pastor of Broadmoor Church (one of the first community lighthouses), says Hurricane Ida made residents determined to set up better storm resources.

“Hurricane Ida was a pivotal moment for the city,” Manning told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). “That taught us what we really needed to do. We realized that we have the power ourselves to get together a plan.”

Two satellite images of New Orleans, one with many lights and one with few lights.
Joshua Stevens/U.S. Geological Survey Landsat Data/NASA Earth Observatory
The top satellite image shows a fully powered New Orleans. The bottom image shows New Orleans after Hurricane Ida caused power outages in 2021.
When all 86 lighthouses are established, none will be more than a 15-minute walk away for any New Orleans resident. They’ll give people a place to cool off, keep any heat-sensitive medicines cool, and recharge their phones. Part of the funding for the lighthouses is being provided by the city. U.S. Representative Troy Carter, who represents much of New Orleans in Congress, secured federal funding as well. “This will save lives, provide comfort, and provide resources for people that desperately need it,” Carter told Fox 8 News.

Fun Fact!

Once ruled by Spain and then by France, New Orleans has also been home to Latino, Italian, Creole, African, and Haitian populations, all of which contribute to a rich, diverse culture. Among other things, New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz music.

Six musicians who make up the Preservation Hall Jazz band perform outdoors with horns, a drum, and a banjo.

Infrogmation of New Orleans (CC BY 3.0)

Hurricane Havoc

Side by side images of a hurricane satellite image and the waves from that hurricane crashing onto land with palm trees blowing.
NASA—NOAA/GOES Project, © Warren Faidley—The Image Bank/Getty Images; Photo composite Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The image on the left shows Hurricane Irma as it approached the Florida coast in 2017. The image on the right shows the hurricane’s effects on Miami, Florida.

Depending on where you live, you might already know that August to October is peak hurricane season in the Northern Hemisphere. What is a hurricane, and why is it capable of causing so much destruction?

  • A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, which is a rotating weather system that produces winds and rain. Tropical cyclones originate over warm water and can develop over the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean.
  • If a tropical cyclone’s sustained winds reach 39 miles per hour (63 kilometers per hour), it’s called a tropical storm. If the sustained winds reach 74 mph (119 kph), it’s called a hurricane in the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, or eastern North Pacific, or a typhoon in the Northwest Pacific.
  • An Atlantic hurricane often begins as a storm off the western coast of Africa. Under certain conditions, it can evolve into a tropical cyclone.
  • A hurricane cannot form within five degrees latitude of the Equator.
  • Hurricanes are rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with category 5 hurricanes being the most severe and potentially most destructive.
  • Hurricanes generally gain strength while they’re over the ocean and weaken when they hit land.
  • Hurricanes require moisture and warmth, which is why they usually weaken if they move north.
  • Hurricanes can cause ocean swells that lead to massive flooding on coastlines.
  • A typical hurricane is about 300 miles wide, but it may be larger or smaller.
  • Other weather patterns can affect the path a hurricane takes.



No Place Like NOLA

Scenes from New Orleans include houses, a building with an ornate balcony, Bourbon Street, and a Mardi Gras float.
© Keri Mercer, Michael Rosebrock/Shutterstock.com, © Fotoluminate, Meinzahn/Dreamstime.com, Carol M. Highsmith Archive/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-highsm-11690); Photo composite Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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WORD OF THE DAY

contingency

PART OF SPEECH:

noun

Definition:
: something (such as an emergency) that might happen
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