For the first time since 2012, the entire Louisiana National Guard has been mobilized. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Louisiana will remain in Phase Two until September 11th. Brooke Thorington has more…
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State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says about 500 Urban Search and Rescue team members are standing by with many from other states ready to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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In response to Hurricane Laura Governor John Bel Edwards has mobilized the entire Louisiana National Guard, a decision he says hasn’t been made since Hurricane Isaac in 2012.
Louisiana National Guard Sgt. Denis Ricou (Denny Ree-coo) says more than 3,000 guardsmen are out and ready to support response and recovery efforts.
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10 engineer assessment teams and eight engineer work teams have been staged to clear roads and inspect infrastructure. Levee support and security teams are also on hand.
Ricou says those 3,000 plus soldiers will be utilizing the Guard’s extensive search and rescue assets.
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Those search and rescue efforts will begin once the storm passes.
Ricou says they’ve got plenty of food and water to take care of people in the aftermath.
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Governor Edwards officially extends Phase Two guidelines for another two weeks, citing the state’s still high case count and potential super spreading events that could occur due to Hurricane Laura.
Edwards says they’re having to discontinue most community testing this week due to Laura, and the timing couldn’t have been worse…
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Edwards says between the resumption of K-12 education and the start of college classes more than a million Louisianans, whether students or staff, have been reintroduced to the education process.
Mass evacuations out of southwest Louisiana also have Edwards concerned. Hundreds of thousands are leaving for other parts of the state, and he notes the region has the highest positivity in Louisiana. And…
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Edwards says the White House still has Louisiana in the red zone for new cases, and Dr. Deborah Birx noted Louisiana still has more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents.
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The Governor says the next two week period includes Labor Day, and that past holidays have resulted in new surges in cases.
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Northwest Louisiana is bracing to endure hurricane conditions throughout the day as Laura is projected to maintain strength even as it moves inland.
DeSoto Parish Sheriff Jason Richardson says they dealt with Rita in 2005, but Laura looks set to top that.
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Richardson says they’ve assembled their first responders group and stood up their emergency operations center in response.
Richardson says the biggest concern will be winds, which could be sustained at over 73 miles per hour, with higher gusts.
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Six to eight inches of rain are predicted for parts of the region along the storm’s path.
Richardson says it’s unusual for them to have to make hurricane plans. Most of the time when storms strike it’s them sending assets to other areas.
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State Fire Marshal Butch Browning says Urban Search and Rescue teams are on standby to respond to the areas impacted by Hurricane Laura. Browning calls the teams critical in responding to building collapses and people being trapped in buildings.
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Browning says the outlook is not good and hopes residents have fled coastal areas where massive storm surges are expected.
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Browning says much of the state’s Urban Search and Rescue takes place outside of the state and says now many of those states are coming into to return the favor.
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