Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge was a shelter for displaced flood victims a week ago, and now it’s become a multi-agency disaster warehouse. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says people making large donations should call ahead of time to make sure that someone is there to help unload…:
CUT 3 (07) “with them”
Steele says people can find a complete list of needed items at emergency.la.gov, as well as an address to ship donations.

Conditions are not looking favorable for the low pressure system in the Atlantic to develop in the near future. The National Hurricane Center says upper-level winds are not expected to be conducive for development during the next day or two. The broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave is located between the southeastern Bahamas and the northeastern coast of Cuba. There is still a 60% chance the system will develop as it gets closer to the United States.

Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies are now in the southern part of the state to assist officers after the historic flooding. Lt. Dave Faulk says they’ve been helping throughout the disaster by bringing in amphibious vehicles and boats….:
CUT 6 (10) “lost everything”
He says they are also going to help in areas where there have been reports of looting.

State Treasurer John Kennedy says Louisiana residents in presidential declared disaster areas impacted by the March and August floods can file for a refund of state sales tax they paid on personal property destroyed by the floods. He says the state will reimburse you for the state sales tax you paid on any portion of destroyed property not reimbursed by insurance or disaster relief.

The Army Corps of Engineers says the Comite River Diversion Project would not have reduced flooding as much as some may think. Deputy District Commander Mark Wingate says what they need is a system wide approach. He says flood mitigation projects are also needed along the Amite River and Bayou Manchac.

Cut 15 (09) “downstream”

Wingate says the Comite project would only have reduced damage for 5 to 10-percent of the affected structures.

The Department of Children and Family Services is having trouble getting disaster food stamps to flood victims in a timely manner because the state agency is understaffed. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says there were employment cutbacks during the budget crunch because Louisiana hasn’t seen a hurricane in several years.

Cut 4 (09) “an emergency”

Housing efforts are ongoing for displaced flood victims. US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro says he supports the temporary housing solutions offered by Governor John Bel Edwards. He says the federal government learned many lessons from Katrina, which has led to better produced manufactured homes for displaced residents…

cut 11 (07) “safety features”

Castro says the federal government is committed to the flood recovery in Louisiana.

The LSU AgCenter says crawfish farmers won’t know how much their harvest was impacted by the flood until later this year. Aquaculture specialist, Mark Shirley says farmers need to get the water out of their fields to keep predators away when the crawfish eggs start to hatch.

Cut 9 (08)  “comes from”

Female crawfish begin laying eggs in late August and continue through early December.

The FEMA manufactured homes have arrived in Baton Rouge, and they look nothing like what we saw after Hurricane Katrina. US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro says the federal government has learned many lessons since then, and these housing units for displaced residents are new and improved…:
cut 11 (07) “safety features”
The housing units are being offered to people with space on their own property or at pre-existing commercial parks.

The National Weather Service says there is a 60 percent chance that the disturbance known as “Invest 99L” will develop into a tropical storm over the next five days, but lower chance over the next two. They say the system is moving west-northwest toward the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It’s currently a disorganized storm, but conditions could become more conducive for development over the weekend or early next week.

Several state agencies are too understaffed to handle all of the needs of flood victims in South Louisiana. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says they may need to look into training state retirees in case of emergencies like this…:
CUT 5 (09) “of them”
He says Louisiana is the most disaster prone state in the nation, and we need to be prepared for these kinds of events.

The LSU AgCenter says crawfish farmers will have to wait until the harvest this winter to see how much the flood impacted them. Halen Doughty has more…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Could the Comite River Diversion Project in East Baton Rouge Parish prevented the flooding if it had been completed? The Army Corps of Engineers says no. Deputy District Commander Mark Wingate says some water levels may have been reduced but not in Denham Springs and further south:
CUT 14 (10) “to inches”
Wingate says what they need is a system wide approach to prevent flooding in the region.

At a time when they are needed most, several state agencies are severely understaffed. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says, for example, DCFS is having trouble opening DSNAP locations because many of their employees are working in shelters…:
Cut 6 (09) “the evacuees”
He says they may need to look into training state retirees in case of emergencies.

The dean of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation does not believe that previous votes against a Hurricane Sandy relief package will prevent an aid package for Louisiana flood victims. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The FEMA manufactured housing units arrived in Baton Rouge Thursday afternoon. These temporary homes are for people who are eligible for FEMA help and unable to utilize rental assistance due to a lack of places to rent in the area. The government is also providing assistance to homeowners through the Shelter at Home program, where people may be able to get FEMA money to make immediate repairs to their home so it is livable.

FEMA says manufactured homes for flood victims have arrived in Baton Rouge and will be set up soon. US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro hopes people can take advantage of the shelter at home program, which gives a homeowner a chance to live in their residence as repairs to their home continue…:
cut 12 (06) “stay there”
He says the manufactured homes are HUD approved and many lessons on this type of temporary housing have been learned from Katrina.

The National Hurricane Center has released some key messages regarding the disturbance known as Invest 99L. They say the system is still disorganized as it extends from eastern Cuba to the central Bahamas, and upper-level winds are expected to remain unfavorable for significant development during the next couple of days. Residents along the coast are encouraged to keep an eye on the progress of this disturbance as it moves into the eastern Gulf of Mexico early next week.

The Army Corps of Engineers says the Comite River Diversion Project would not have reduced flooding in south Louisiana…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

What could all this flooding mean for the crawfish harvest? LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, Mark Shirley, says the mudbugs could have been affected…:
CUT 8 (08) “in the water”
But he says it’s too early to tell if the disaster will impact next crawfish season.

State agencies are severely understaffed at a time when people need them the most. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says during tough budget times, there were employment cutbacks at the Department of Children and Family Services and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, because Louisiana hasn’t seen a hurricane in several years…:
cut 4 (09) “an emergency”

He says they may need to look into training state retirees in case of emergencies.

US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and the administrator from the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet say the federal government is committed to the flood recovery in Louisiana. Contreras-Sweet reminds flood victims they can apply for low interest loans to repair their damaged home or business..:
Cut 10 (08) “more manageable”

Some people have suggested that if the Comite River Diversion Project in East Baton Rouge Parish had been completed, the flooding wouldn’t have been so severe. But the Army Corps of Engineers says that’s not the case. Deputy District Commander Mark Wingate says the project would only have helped a small part of the affected region…:
Cut 13 (09) “in place”
Wingate says the project would have helped on the Comite River, but not the Amite or other rivers in the basin that also flooded.

After the agriculture businesses took a $110 million hit from the flood, crawfish farmers will have to wait to see how much their harvest was affected. LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, Mark Shirley, says some fields that were only flooded for a day or two should be alright. But he says fields that had more water could see some losses.

CUT 7 (10)  “the field”

FEMA housing units are returning to Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Two Arkansas men have been arrested after posting a video on SnapChat that shows them slitting a pit bull’s throat. They heinous crime was committed in Bastrop. Boots Stanley and Steven Sadler of Ashley County, Arkansas, have been booked into the Morehouse parish jail on charges of aggravated cruelty to an animal and conspiracy.

Deputy Director for Disaster Recovery with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, Mark Riley, says they are trying to get people out of their cars and shelters as quickly as possible. He says there are already some manufactured homes in the state after the March flood in north Louisiana, but it will be a while before they get these flood victims moved into them.

cut 10 (10)  “to do”

Triple-A is warning motorists purchasing used cars to beware of flood damaged vehicles for sale. Spokesperson Don Redman advises people to use their sense of smell to detect any wet or musty odors inside the car. He also says to check for new carpeting and signs of dirt or mud.

CUT 7 (10) “the inside”

Redman says be careful when buying a car off of Craigslist or resale sites.

Over 120-thousand people registered for disaster assistance and federal and state agencies are having trouble keeping up with the demand. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Governor John Bel Edwards was in southwest Louisiana today. Edwards told flood victims in Youngsville that they’ll seek assistance from Congress to help homeowners who did not have flood insurance. In Lake Arthur, the governor learned about the man-made levee built to protect the town from the rising Mermentau River.

Just like after Hurricane Katrina and Rita, expect to see FEMA homes scattered across south Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards says FEMA is checking to see if the units can fit on the property of a flooded home and there’s plans to put multiple trailers on commercial lots…
cut 5 (10) “…transportation”
Edwards says these mobile homes from FEMA are much better than the FEMA trailers after Katrina.

Forecasters say Invest 99 is poorly organized as it moves towards the Bahamas and south Florida. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the disturbance still has a chance to get its act together and possibly get into the Gulf of Mexico…
cut 14 (07) “…our problem”
Keim says it’s definitely a tropical wave we should keep an eye on.