(The Center Square) — Shreveport’s Highland Center is now better equipped to help the city in times of disaster.
A representative from the Highland Center spoke to the Caddo Parish Commission about their updated disaster response plans as they aim to better help the citizens of Shreveport.
The community center has the necessary equipment on site for back-up power and back-up water, according to Madison Poche, the executive director of The Highland Center. Poche shared that the center’s water well was dug earlier this week, and the Morning Star Baptist Church is fully operational at this time.
While The Highland Center is still in the approval process for many things, Poche expects that by summertime, the center will be fully operational and have the ability to respond to any crisis that comes their way.
The outage in 2023 sparked concern amongst the city about having places for people during power outages, severe weather and lack of water.
According to recent reports, The Highland Center has worked for many years to become Shreveport’s first Community Lighthouse, a program started in New Orleans that provides solar and battery power for communities that lose electrical service due to natural disasters.
There are two lighthouses in the city — The Highland Center and Morning Star Baptist Church. These two places will act as safe houses for those in need during disasters.
The Highland Center also applied to be a part of the Americorps program to help give back to the community of Caddo. The program has been around for about 60 years, operating similarly to the Peace Corps. People commit to a year of full-time service and are placed into areas around the community in need. They receive a living-stipend for their work.
The Highland Center is currently managing eight new job positions, some placed within the center itself and others placed around the community, including the Caddo Parish Juvenile Justice Center. Other partners include Basic Necessities and Goodwill’s Job Center, providing workforce development.
“These positions are helping our younger generation who might have literally been you know checking out folks at the grocery store or working at a fast food counter get the opportunity to work on their professional skills, put their passion into practice,” Poche said.
