Community Power Stations are places to charge your devices and/or access wi-fi while the power’s out.
In the spirit of mutual aid, the stations are hosted on a volunteer basis by neighbors, organizations, and businesses across the greater New Orleans area.
*We are looking to add stations in Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parish. If you’re in these parishes and have power while your neighbors do not, please contact us to join the map!
NOTE: YELLOW pins are free locations, PURPLE pins are locations that are offering a charge or wi-fi in exchange for supporting their business. Locations offering wi-fi are noted by a wi-fi symbol and may be either business or residential. Access details by clicking on the pin.
Join the map!
The map is open to anyone in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parish. If folks around you need power, we’d love to add you to the map. Email communitypowermap@gmail.com with:
- Your Name (Individual/Business/Org)
- Address of your Community Power Station
- Is your location Residential, a Business, or an Organization?
- Is there seating available?
- Can we mark your spot as a safe space for LGBTQ and BIPOC individuals?
- Do you need any supplies to get your station running?
- Include any other important information about your setup and/or a picture if you have one.
LAGNIAPPE: If you want to add additional supplies to your spot, please do! Some folks are leaving snacks, candy, baby wipes, water and other supplies out by the power cord. Some are decorating their stations with art or Halloween decorations. Some stations are on super comfy front porches. All of them are getting the job done. Thanks for being a part of this truly community-driven effort.
If you can host a spot but need supplies, we have a limited number of 8ft outdoor extension cords, 5-port power hubs, and folding chairs available. For safety reasons, DO NOT link extension cords together.
If you can’t host a Community Power Station but still want to help, there are other ways to “plug in” (yeah, we went there with the pun):
- Spread the word. While we are online, those with power may not be. Share the link to this page through your social networks (text, email, community Facebook groups), put up hand-drawn signs around your neighborhood, tell your mom and dem. We encourage you to go forth and spread the news in whatever way feels good to you! If you have questions or want support on this, email klie@imaginewaterworks.org.
- Share the fundraiser: bit.ly/zetarelief. All donations to our Zeta Relief Fund have gone toward the Community Power Map. We have utilized them to purchase safe outdoor electrical equipment (cords, power hubs) to distribute to the most impacted areas. We will reuse them for future storms, as well.
This project is co-organized by Sara Slaughter and Imagine Water Works.
Locations are hosted by individuals, businesses, and community centers across the city. Please be kind to everyone who is volunteering their time, talent, and space to get power to folks who need it! Shout out also to Alex Anderra and our friends at Mutual Aid – New Orleans, who have been looking out for folks since the start of COVID-19. (Note: We collectively work together, but “Mutual Aid – New Orleans” is different from our mutual aid group, which is Imagine Mutual Aid on Facebook.)
Hurricane Zeta Relief Fund:
NOTE: Donations to this fund ARE NOT automatically tax deductible. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to our work, checks can be mailed to our nonprofit fiscal sponsor, Project South (EIN: 581956686). In the MEMO field, include “Imagine Water Works: Hurricane Relief”. For other ways to donate and receive a tax deductible receipt, email klie@imaginewaterworks.org.
The Mutual Aid Response Network is a group of Louisiana residents, led by Imagine Water Works, that activates during floods, storms, and other natural and manmade disasters. We are located in the Lower 9th Ward and are led by Black and transgender multigenerational native New Orleanians.
All donations to this fund will support relief and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Zeta, led by Imagine Water Works and the Mutual Aid Response Network. To request or offer support in person, join one of our groups in New Orleans or Houma.
Our commitment for the usage of funds:
- We will keep the total donation amount public — you’ll know exactly how much has been raised.
- As we regrant and/or utilize the funds, we will share exactly where the money is going.
- We will prioritize the funding, leadership, and safety of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and LGBTQ individuals.
In addition to Zeta, we have been working throughout 2020 on all named storms with Louisiana in the “cone of uncertainty”, supporting folks through Cristobal, Marco, Laura, Sally, Beta, and Delta. Visit our Hurricane Laura Relief Fund to see some of what we’ve done with your support so far.
Additional resources for Zeta Relief:
- COVID-19 Guide to Hurricane Season
- Mutual Aid Response Network – New Orleans (Facebook)
- Mutual Aid Response Network – Houma (Facebook)
Learn more about our work via WWL Eyewitness News, NOLA Eater, and more:
- Charge Your Devices | Press Release from NOLA Ready and the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
- “NOLA Community Organizations Focus on Hurricane Relief as Power Outages from Hurricane Zeta Continue” [NOLA Eater]
- ‘It gives me hope’ | New Orleanians help Hurricane Laura evacuees in the Crescent City [WWL]
- Hairstylist forced from home by Laura offers free cuts to evacuees in New Orleans hotel [WWL]
- For Hurricane Laura Evacuees, Food Is Often Served Cold. This Mutual Aid Group Delivers Appliances to Help. [NOLA Eater]
See our Imagine Mutual Aid group in action via WWL’s Devin Bartolotta: