Governor Landry has issued a state of emergency in six parishes in response to the severe weather caused by Tropical Storm Arthur. Joe Gallinaro reports one of the hardest hit was Avoyelles Parish.
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”
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Tropical Storm Arthur may be gone, but the rain certainly is not. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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Running back Mark Ingram and offensive tackle Terron Armstead were unveiled as the Saints Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Kace Kieschnick reports.
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”
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Governor Landry has issued a state of emergency in six parishes in response to the severe weather caused by Tropical Storm Arthur — Avoyelles, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Tammany and Terrebonne. Arthur’s remnants stalled over Avoyelles Parish throughout the day yesterday, dumping about two and a half feet of rain in some places. Louis Coco manages KLIL radio in Moreauville and says the scene was surreal.
Cut 4 (08) “…but are underwater.”
Coco says not even the station’s facilities were spared of the storm’s wrath.
Cut 5 (08) “…inside the studios.”
Coco says the rain came down so hard and so fast that it actually forced the station off the air.
Cut 6 (11) “…the transmitters off.”
Officials issued mandatory evacuation orders as the rain kept coming down, and sandbags were made available for affected residents. Communities also opened shelters for those displaced by floodwaters.
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Floodwaters kept crews in Kenner very busy yesterday morning. Police Chief Keith Conley says several vehicles became stuck in floodwaters near Louis Armstrong International Airport.
Cut 7 (10) “…and emergency vehicles.”
Conley says while the roadways became washed out, operations at the airport continued.
Cut 8 (10) “…inundated with water.”
Conley says the city and tow companies that it contracts with prepare for these scenarios all the time; but yesterday, the rains came down so fast that no amount of practice could have prepared crews for what they were faced with. But he says they all worked very efficiently.
Cut 9 (10) “…up pretty fast.”
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Tropical Storm Arthur may be gone, but it’s still going to be a soggy start to the weekend in South Louisiana. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says another weather system is coming through.
Cut 10 (12) “…chances relatively high.”
Keim says the cold front will help pop off a few more thunderstorms.
Cut 11 (07) “…especially on Saturday.”
Keim says as saturated as the ground is, it won’t take much rain to produce flash flooding. It’s not going to get any more comfortable as the weekend progresses. Keim says after the rain stops, people will be contending with moisture of another kind – humidity.
Cut 12 (11) “…half as well.”
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Today is Juneteenth — the holiday commemorating the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19th, 1865. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation legally abolished slavery in 1863, but it was still practiced years after. LSU African-American Studies Professor Stephen Finley says it was not until Juneteenth that the news arrived on the shores of Galveston, Texas, where many slave owners had fled.
Cut 13 (12) “…had not heard.”
Juneteenth has been celebrated for decades by African-American communities, but it was made a federal holiday in 2021. While Finley is wary that its new status may erode the true meaning, he says he hopes it will help educate the next generation.
Cut 14 (11) “…why they’re important.”
Finley says the holiday should serve as a reminder to Americans of the sacrifices that have been made to protect their freedoms, and he hopes its national recognition will help inspire people to keep fighting.
Cut 15 (12) “…struggle for it.”
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Running back Mark Ingram and offensive tackle Terron Armstead will be inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame as its class of 2026. Ingram ranks second in franchise history with 65-hundred rushing yards and 52 touchdowns in 10 seasons with the Saints. The three-time Pro Bowler was drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft by New Orleans and says the city changed his life.
Cut 16 (12) “…it in words.”
Ingram spent the first eight years of his career wearing black and gold before brief stints with the Ravens and Texans. He returned to New Orleans midseason in 2021 and retired as a Saint. He says he remembers a hall outside the team meeting room with the Saints Hall of Famers.
Cut 17 (14) “…garner that recognition.”
Armstead was drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2013 draft and stayed for nine seasons in New Orleans. He was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Saints and a 2018 All-Pro. Despite ending his career with three seasons in Miami, he says he’s a lifelong Saint.
Cut 18 (11) “…I made it (2x).”