News

October 4, 2021 | From City of New Orleans

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CELEBRATES THE COMPLETION OF CITYWIDE EMERGENCY GENERATOR INSTALLATION PROGRAM

NORD group

 

NEW ORLEANS —Today, Mayor LaToya Cantrell was joined by State Representative Candace Newell of District 99, Interim Councilmember-At-Large Donna Glapion, Councilmember Kristen Gisleson Palmer of District C, Councilmember Cyndi Nguyen of District E, and other local and federal officials and community members to celebrate the completion of the City’s Emergency Generator Installation Program.

 

“We are creating and building a Recreation Department for the future, that will meet the needs of residents where they are in times of emergencies,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. We were tested front and center during Hurricane Ida, and these facilities were equipped with manual generator transfer switches that allowed them to connect to emergency generators. This is a great example of doing what we said we would do to move this city forward and to continue delivering with the spirit of residency that we are known for across the country and the world.”

 

Manual generator transfer switches were recently installed at eight (8) NORD facilities across the city, and the NOHSEP Warehouse, to provide temporary standby generator power. Participating facilities include Cut-Off Recreation Center, Treme Recreation Center, Joe W. Brown Recreation Center, John P. Lyons Recreation Center, Gernon Brown Recreation Center, Stallings St. Claude Recreation Center, Milne Recreation Center and Rosenwald Recreation Center.

 

"We can't lose sight of the fact that the cooling centers at NORD facilities saved lives after Hurricane Ida. Unfortunately, these storms are coming in faster, stronger, and shutting off our utilities for weeks. Mayor Cantrell, NORD's leadership and staff, and NOHSEP have worked together to provide an innovative response to not only Hurricane Ida but for future storms and disasters," said Councilmember Palmer. 

 

"This project has already served invaluable to the City's emergency recovery. The conversion of our NORD community centers enabled us to get food and critical resources to New Orleanians in need at convenient, safe, and comfortable locations,” said Councilmember-At-Large Glapion.  “I commend the leadership of Mayor Cantrell, NORD Director Larry Barabino and Director Colin Arnold for their leadership to bring this project to fruition and look forward to working together on more ways to serve our people in the aftermath of extreme weather events."

 

“It is crucial as an agency to be able to serve our community in all aspects of necessity and this project enables eight (8) NORD facilities to become a beacon in the community when there are extended power outages after a severe weather event,” said NORD Chief Executive Officer Larry Barabino, Jr. “It lets us meet our residents where they are as a safe place to cool off, charge devices, receive supportive services or grab a hot meal.”

 

“Investing in mitigation efforts to reduce the impacts of future disasters has never been so important as we continue to face more frequent and severe storms,” said New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Collin Arnold. “After the extended power outages caused by Hurricane Isaac in 2012, my office worked to secure FEMA HMGP funding to invest in generator power at City facilities. Nine years later, I’m grateful that due to the concerted efforts made by NOHSEP, Capital Projects and NORD, we were able to successfully operate eight cooling centers on generator power to provide A/C, device charging, meals, and recovery services to residents immediately after another extended power outage event--Hurricane Ida. With millions expected in Hurricane Ida mitigation funds, my office will continue to lead the hazard mitigation planning and fundraising efforts for the City of New Orleans.”

 

“In addition to providing recreational opportunities for our residents, our NORDC centers can now provide a safe haven for the public during and following emergencies,” said Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Infrastructure Ramsey Green.  “We quickly assembled the resources to make this strategic investment, which enabled our NORD centers to operate post-Hurricane Ida as cooling centers.  I am grateful to Capital Projects Administration Director Vincent Smith for his leadership and to his team for getting such a critical resource in place for our city.”

 

In August 2020, the City broke ground on this project to enable NORD sites to operate during extended power outages, which allows them to be utilized as cooling and charging stations, temporary housing locations when necessary, and other essential service operations in the event of major inclement weather.

 

Funding for the project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Program in the amount of $788,946.“Hazard Mitigation projects greatly enhance the long-term resiliency and strength of our communities in the wake of emergency events, breaking the cycle of disaster damage and reconstruction," said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Gerald Stolar. "FEMA is committed to supporting the City of New Orleans through capability and capacity building, and we are grateful for the partnerships we have with both the City and the State of Louisiana.”

 

 

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