State officials are developing a plan for housing the thousands of flood victims who still cannot return to their homes. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 1 (29) “I’m Halen Doughty”
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Celtic Movie Studios in Baton Rouge has transformed into a shelter for flood victims. has more…
CUT 2 (32) “I’m Emelie Gunn”
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The Department of Children and Family Services is advising flood victims to pre-register for disaster food stamps. If you experienced loss or damage from the floods, you can apply online on the D-C-F-S website or call 1-888-LA-HELP-U. DCFS Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory says pre-qualifying makes it easier for enrollees to receive emergency food stamps, once D-SNAP application sites open…
CUT 3 (07) “the process”
Guillory says applicants must provide their social security numbers, address, and income. He says this is a one month assistance program for people who do not receive regular SNAP benefits. He says anyone who was affected by the flood can apply.
CUT 4 (11) “of employment”
Guillory says DSNAP benefits will be available once the state gets approval from the federal government. He says they hope to have registration sites open next week, but that’s not set in stone. He says DCFS has a lot on its plate right now.
CUT 5 (07) “been flooded”
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As the flood water rose, many people were fleeing to shelter. Celtic Media Studios in Baton Rouge opened their doors to thousands of people who were forced out of their homes after the devastating storm. Director of Studio Operations Patrick Mulhearn says the lull in the film industry actually turned out to be a blessing…
CUT 6 (11) “do this”
Mulhearn says Saturday night the population of Celtic was zero and Sunday afternoon the population was about 4-thousand people. He says when the bus loads of victims started coming in, there were no volunteers so he turned to Facebook to ask for assistance because the phone lines were down.
CUT 7 (09) “everything else”
Mulhearn says there has been talk about Baton Rouge being divided but he’s never seen a more united community than over the weekend. He says people from all different professions have shown up to help and boost morale, from face painters for the kids to snoball stands.
CUT 8 (10) “gathering dust”
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Thousands of flood victims are still in shelters, and many more are staying with family and friends. Governor John Bel Edwards says his office and other agencies are developing a strategy for housing these people in the immediate and distant future. He says it’s too early to know exactly what that plan will look like.
CUT 9 (08) “the same”
Edwards says there’s a lot of information that needs to be gathered from those that have been affected. But he says FEMA knows how to do this, so the state is following their lead.
cut 10 (10) “a plan”
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says they aren’t sure yet if the plan will include bringing in FEMA trailers or not. But he says if it comes to that, these are not the small travel trailers we saw after Katrina.
Cut 11 (07) “approved”
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The flooding is not over yet as officials in St. James Parish are preparing for backwater flooding. Parish President Timmy Roussel says the levels of water in the Blind River are higher than what was seen during Hurricane Isaac. He says residents are scrambling to sandbag their homes before the water reaches it.
cut 12 (09) “fire station”
There are numerous sandbagging locations on both the east and west banks. Roussel says the community has really teamed up and when one home is completely sandbagged, they all move on to the next. He does expect some homes to take on water and multiple homes already have….
Cut 13 (10) “as possible”
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While flood waters are receding in some parishes, the Lake Arthur area in Jefferson Davis parish is still expecting more flooding this weekend and into next week. Johnathan Brazzell with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says the Mermentau River is expected to crest at 11.5 feet by Friday, which would be the third highest crest the river has ever seen.
cut 14 (08) “for miles”
Brazzell says this will lead to more homes flooding and road closures in that area. He says the flooding concerns are far from over in some southwestern parishes, particularly around Lake Arthur.
cut 15 (09) “two weeks”
Brazzell says unfortunately there is still more rain in the forecast. He says there’s a possibility some flash flood warnings as the day goes on.
cut 16 (09) “of time”
Flood warnings are still in effect for Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Acadia, and, Vermilion parishes until further notice.
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