Many people are reflecting back to 10 years ago when Hurricane Katrina descended on the Gulf Coast and caused catastrophic widespread damage. Michelle Southern speaks to our Governor at the time, Kathleen Blanco:
CUT 1 (33) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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The man who directs the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says the state is in a much better position to respond to another Katrina-like event. Scott Carwile has the story…
Cut 2 (28) “I’m Scott Carwile”
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Former President George W. Bush visits New Orleans today to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which political observers call the low point of his presidency. Jeff Palermo reports…:
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Visitation is today for fallen State Police Trooper Steven Vincent, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this week. Due to tremendous support, the location of the visitation has been moved to the Lake Charles Civic Center Rosa Heart Theater. Calcasieu Parish Police Juror Tony Stelly says he watched Vincent grow up and he will be greatly missed by everyone.
The funeral service will take place Saturday at noon at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Lake Charles. Stelly expects many people to come out and pay their respects at the visitation and funeral. He says Vincent’s reputation was like gold in his hometown of Iowa because he was such a caring person.
Stelly says Steven comes from a great family who is widely respected and the community will do whatever they can to make this time easier for the Vincent’s.
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Many people are reflecting back to 10 years ago when Hurricane Katrina descended on the Gulf Coast and caused catastrophic widespread damage. Families throughout the New Orleans area were displaced and people all over the state were opening their doors to evacuees. Our Governor during that time, Kathleen Blanco, says the unbelievable recovery in the last decade shows the resiliency and determination of Louisianians…:
The immediate response efforts to the disaster by federal, state and local governments is widely criticized. Blanco says following Katrina and Rita she instructed her staff to rewrite the disaster response. She believes Louisiana now leads the nation in knowing what to do before, during and after storms…:
Political leaders were shown on television clearly shaken by their surroundings and many of those who remained in New Orleans after the storm had no access to water, food or shelter. Blanco says the thing she suffers from the most about the response is that they couldn’t do enough, fast enough in a short period of time…:
Cut 9 (11) “pain and suffering quickly”
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The director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says the state is in a better position to respond to a Hurricane Katrina like event. GOHSEP director Kevin Davis says one of the biggest advancements is a better relationship between the state and FEMA. Davis says he meets with the FEMA regional director on a regular basis…
Davis was the president of St. Tammany Parish during Hurricane Katrina. He remembers the difficulty in communication, especially after the strom blew through. He says the state now has equipment to combat situations when cell service is nonexistent….
Where to shelter evacuees was a huge issue during Katrina. Davis says since then they have identify enough shelter to house individuals in Louisiana, if there’s a need to evacuate the New Orleans area. He says their sheltering plan is very specific…
Cut 12 (09) “in transportation”
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Former President George W. Bush visits New Orleans today to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which political observers say was the low point of his presidency. Many blame Bush’s administration for not getting aid to the people of Louisiana fast enough. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says when people think about Katrina, they think “Bush Administration”…:
Hogan says in some ways it seems strange that Bush would come back after being so chastised about what he did and did not do following the storm, but no matter what he is eternally tied to the event. He says it’s not unusual for presidents and former presidents to commemorate tragedies…:
Hogan says Katrina happened a few years after 9/11, and many people were very optimistic about the state of the country. He says after the storm that perception of the Bush administration almost completely dissipated…:
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Before even coaching his first LSU football game, Coach Les Miles was forced to deal with tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. 10 years ago the Ohio native came to Baton Rouge as the brand new football coach with big shoes to fill. Miles says looking back at that time, the landfall of Hurricane Katrina proved to be one of the strongest moments in Louisiana history.
Miles says at first he didn’t realize summers weren’t always like this and major hurricanes weren’t so common. Miles says he still held practice during this hectic time, but would let the athletes out early to donate their time to assist those flown to the P-MAC for medical treatment.
Miles says the community went above and beyond their duties to help those in need. He says many of his players housed their displaced family members in small dorms, but it was a time where he learned what was most important in life.