A First-of-its-Kind Initiative to Support Louisianans Who Depend on Life-Support Equipment in Their Homes During Power Outages
Power Outage Partners is an innovative new initiative to provide life-saving power to life support patients, extending device run time so patients have more time to safely evacuate during power outages. In short duration outages, the need to evacuate may be averted.
The latest Power Outage Partners initiative is being launched in Texas, a state where recent natural disasters, including Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Hurricane Beryl in 2024, created deadly challenges for individuals depending on electric powered medical devices. The first Power Outage Partners initiative was launched as a pilot in Louisiana, a state that has also seen more than its share of natural disasters. Initial planning for the project was made possible with CDC funding and project management support from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).
ASTHO published a Toolkit in 2023 that chronicles the Louisiana project and details other strategies jurisdictions can use to boost power outage support for individuals relying on electric-powered medical devices in their homes.
The concept for Power Outage Partners was developed by Eric Cote, an emergency power resilience expert, hired by ASTHO in 2021 to help the Louisiana Department of Health develop an operational plan for the nation’s first Power Outage Partners initiative. Cote was also hired by ASTHO to author the ASTHO toolkit published in August 2023.
Cote is now working with disability advocates and other stakeholders to launch a Power Outage Partners initiative in Texas. He stands ready to assist other jurisdictions across the U.S. who wish to launch their own project modeled after the Louisiana project or the latest project advancing in Texas.