Governor John Bel Edwards annouces that starting Monday a new wave of residents will become eligable for the vaccine including teachers, additional medical workers, and those 55 and older who have a medical condition that makes them more sussecptible to COVID.

Several roads across North Louisiana are impassable as a result of yesterday’s freezing rain. Jeff Palermo reports several vehicles have slid off the roadway on Interstate 20…

Cut 1 (30) “ …I’m Jeff Palermo.”
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Entergy Louisiana Spokesperson Brandon Scardigli says they hope to have power restored for Baton Rouge customers by the end of the day. In North Louisiana it remains undetermined, that area received freezing rain last night. Scardigli says restoration with an ice storm is much different than a hurricane because ice accumulation involves individual lines and poles that are pulled down by ice and trees.

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The winter storm has passed but freezing cold temperatures are here to stay for the next few days. National Weather Service Shreveport forecaster Gary Chatelain says tomorrow morning the I-20 corridor will once again break record lows with temps in the teens.

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A hard freeze warning is in effect from tonight into tomorrow morning as far south as I-10.

Governor Edwards announced today that beginning Monday K-12 teachers and those ages 55 to 64 with one or more preexisting conditions according to the CDC guidelines will be eligible to be vaccinated for COVID. Some of those preexisting conditions include cancer, heart disease, COPD, and down syndrome. Pregnant women will also be eligible.

The winter storm has passed but freezing cold temperatures are here to stay for the next few days.   National Weather Service Shreveport forecaster Gary Chatelain says tomorrow morning the I-20 corridor will once again break record lows with temps in the teens.  Chatelain says temperatures will begin rising once this blanket of frigid air gets pushed out east.  

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State Police says I-20 is a solid block of ice and it’s resulted in jack-knifed 18-wheelers and several vehicles sliding off the highway. Trooper Brent Hardy says thankfully no serious injuries have been reported.

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After days for thousands of customers without power and frigid temperatures Entergy Louisiana Spokesperson Brandon Scardigli says they hope to have power restored for Baton Rouge customers by the end of the day. As for customers in North Louisiana that received a bout of freezing rain last night…

Cut 6 (09) “…customers.”

As of this afternoon 52-thousand Entergy customers remain without power. 10-thousand of those customers are in East Baton Rouge Parish.

The winter storm has passed but freezing cold temperatures are here to stay for the next few days.   National Weather Service Shreveport forecaster Gary Chatelain says roads across north Louisiana are still an icy mess but we’ll be treated to some dry weather and sunshine even if temps remain in the thirties into the weekend.  

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Entergy, along with CLECO and SWEPCO, are asking customers to conserve power to avoid overloads, due to historic demand. Utility providers have also conducted rolling blackouts to reduce usage. As the frigid temperatures continue, Entergy spokesperson Brandon Scardigli says more rolling blackouts are possible.

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Scardigli was unable to update the status of north Louisiana restoration due to the freezing precipitation last night.

State Police says I-20 is a solid block of ice and it’s resulted in jack-knifed 18-wheelers and several vehicles sliding off the highway. Trooper Brent Hardy says the two winter storms have produced a four to five-inch block of ice and even Troopers who train to drive in these conditions are struggling…

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Hardy said a majority of the drivers that were stranded after sliding off interstate were out sightseeing.

Governor Edwards is receiving pressure from teachers’ unions to include K-12 employees in the current vaccine eligibility group. Edwards is optimistic teachers won’t have to wait for much longer to be vaccinated.  

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This week’s vaccine allocation has been delayed due to the winter weather. 

Still some light snow falling in northeast Louisiana, but the worst winter precipitation is over with. However, cold temperatures are here for the rest of the week. National Weather Service Shreveport forecaster Gary Chatelain says record lows are possible again along the I-20 corridor tomorrow morning…
cut 12 (09) “…you know”
A hard freeze warning is in effect from tonight into tomorrow morning as far south as I-10.

State Police is busy responding to crashes across north Louisiana as a result of vehicles sliding off the road. Trooper Brent Hardy says many of the motorists left stranded, said they were driving around to look at winter scenery….
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Governor Edwards will provide an update on the state’s response to the winter weather during a 2:30 press conference.

K-12 teachers in Louisiana are still not eligible to receive a COVID vaccine but Governor Edwards says that is likely to change “relatively soon”. Matt Doyle has the story.
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The winter weather has resulted in thousands of COVID-19 vaccine appointments getting postponed. The state health department says if your second dose of the COVID vaccine is delayed, it’s ok if there’s a short delay in getting the second dose. L-D-H says there is no need to restart the vaccination series.

Entergy Louisiana Spokesperson Brandon Scardigli says they hope to have power restored for Baton Rouge customers by the end of the day. In North Louisiana it remains undetermined, that area received freezing rain last night. Scardigli says restoration with an ice storm is much different than a hurricane because ice accumulation involves individual lines and poles that are pulled down by ice and trees.

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Governor Edwards says he will make an announcement “relatively soon” on expanding COVID vaccine eligibility to K-12 teachers and staff Edwards says making teachers eligible right now wouldn’t mean they would immediately get vaccinated given our supply. He compared the current situation to a funnel. 

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In the Southeast only Arkansas and Alabama have made teacher’s fully eligible to receive the vaccine. 

Several roads across North Louisiana are impassable as a result of yesterday’s freezing rain. Jeff Palermo reports several vehicles have slid off the roadway on Interstate 20…

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For the most up to date road information visit 511LA.org

State Police says I-20 is a solid block of ice and it’s resulted in jack-knifed 18-wheelers and several vehicles sliding off the highway. Trooper Brent Hardy says thankfully no serious injuries have been reported.

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Hardy says many of the stranded motorist were out sightseeing.

After days for several customers without power and frigid temperatures Entergy Louisiana Spokesperson Brandon Scardigli says they hope to have power restored for Baton Rouge customers by the end of the day. As for customers in North Louisiana that received a bout of freezing rain last night…

Cut 6 (09) “…customers.”

Entergy, along with CLECO and SWEPCO, are asking customers to conserve power as much as possible to avoid overloads.

Governor Edwards says he will make an announcement “relatively soon” on expanding COVID vaccine eligibility to K-12 teachers and staff.  

Teachers unions are demanding teachers be vaccinated, but Edwards says the current priority groups are federal recommendations based on our demographics. 

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The weather has caused delays for several states, Louisiana included, to receive their weekly vaccination allocation. State Health Officer Dr Joe Kanter says postponing your second shot of vaccine will not impact its overall effectiveness so don’t worry if you have a wait a few days.  

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Those with only one shot of the two-shot sequence are believed to have about 50 percent immunity, while those who complete their sequence have over 90 percent immunity several weeks after their final dose.  

After two winter storms this week, forecasters say it appears the worst is behind us. However, State Climatologist Barry Keim says there’s still some lingering mixed precipitation this morning in north Louisiana. Keim says things aren’t necessarily going to warm up either…

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Thousands of people spent the night sleeping without power. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says after days of severe winter weather there’s more and more damage to poles and powerlines…

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CLECO reports 33-thousand remain without power. Entergy is reporting 56-thousand customers Louisiana and SWEPCO says 10-thousand remain without power.

Much of Louisiana’s weekly vaccine shipment will be delayed due to the historic winter weather impacting the region.  State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says we’re not alone in missing much of our weekly allocation.

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Kanter says you safely delay second dose of both vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, for up to 42 days.

COVID vaccines can cause enlarged lymph nodes under the arm in which you received the injection, so the American Society of Breast Imaging is recommending postponing routine mammograms for four to six weeks. Breast Surgical Oncologist at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Dr. Mindy Bowie (Boo-ie) says if you did have your mammogram in that time span and had enlarged lymph nodes you’ll need to be reexamined.

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