FEMA came under fire from state lawmakers today for not getting assistance to flood victims quickly. But FEMA Coordinating Officer Gerard Stolar says there are 23-hundred FEMA personnel working on this disaster.

Cut 6 (08) “this disaster”

Stolar says 131-thousand people have registered for federal aid, and $315 million has been approved for FEMA.

State Treasurer John Kennedy told lawmakers they should suspend the one cent increase on the state sales tax for flood victims. But New Orleans Senator JP Morrell says this is not something that Kennedy should be proposing, because it’s not feasible.

Cut 11 (08) “in session”

Kennedy says the increase in the sales tax should be revisited, even if it means calling a special session.

A former employee at an assisted living facility has been arrested for rape. Mandeville Police Officer Becky White says 58-year-old Jerry Kan worked as cook at Beau Provence Memory Care. She says he was booked after authorities received a call about inappropriate behavior between Kan and a 78-year-old resident.

Cut 14 (03) “the facility”

White says Kan has worked at Beau Provence since April of this year.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has given over 1.6 million dollars to help flood victims. BRAF Communications Director Mukul Verma says they’ve given dozens of grants to local nonprofits working in the field of flood relief. He says a lot of the money is donated from people around the country through online platforms.

Cut 3 (10) “million”

Verma says companies around the region have donated about a million dollars to BRAF.