The destructive outbreak of surprise tornadoes that touched down in Louisiana Tuesday caused nearly 40 reported injuries, but no fatalities. New Orleans East was hit particularly hard and Mayor Mitch Landrieu says they are working to help transition those who lost everything…:
Cut 13 (09) “each other up”
Entergy reports more than 8200 customers remain without power which likely won’t be restored for a couple more days.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue says a tax preparer is accused of submitting returns which claimed losses for a business that does not exist. They say Warren Bryant of Lutcher allegedly improperly reduced his clients’ taxable income by reporting phony company losses which resulted in bigger refunds. The scheme cost taxpayers over $116,000. Bryant is charged with Principal to Filing or Maintaining False Public Records and Principal to Illegal Transmission of Monetary Funds.

Governor John Bel Edwards issued another state of emergency because of the tornadoes on Tuesday, and now he’s headed to Washington D.C. to lobby Congress for more flood relief from the disaster in 2016. He says one of his proposals is to allow flood victims to use grant money to pay off Small Business Administration loans…:
Cut 10 (11) “allow it”
Edwards says we’ve received 1.6 billion dollars in grant money so far but another two billion is necessary.

The National Weather Service says in the days leading up to Tuesday’s tornadoes, it didn’t even look like south Louisiana was going to get much rain, much less severe weather. Slidell forecaster Mike Efferson says this is why it’s vital that people have several ways to be alerted.
Cut 16 (08) “hear one”
He says seven areas across southeast Louisiana sustained possible tornado damage and they will know more as numbers come in today.