Rains continue as the center of Tropical Storm Harvey takes aim at Louisiana’s southwestern coast. Jeff Palermo has more…
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Governor John Bel Edwards says the state is trying to help Cajun Navy rescue as many people as possible in Texas. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 2 (33) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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The Louisiana National Guard have been conducting rescues during the night in southwestern parishes and more Guardsman have been activated. Col. Ed Bush says the guard continues to preposition assets based on the storm track and are prepared to send out more Guardsmen to assist.
The National Guard is issuing MREs, bottles of water and sandbags. Bush says they are equipped with high water vehicles and boats for rescue operations.
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Flood waters in Lake Charles are rising and rescues have already been conducted. Dick Gremillion with the Calcasieu Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says a rain band that came in at around 5 p.m. yesterday caused immediate flooding. He says a drainage canal overflowed…
Gremillion says they are concerned about additional flooding as all drains are full. He says his staff is ready for anything but Harvey continues to be a very complicated storm to plan for.
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Tropical Storm Harvey continues to pour water down on Texas and Louisiana. State climatologist Barry Keim says the worst part is it’s not over yet, as much more rain is yet to come. He says 5 to 10 more inches of rain is still possible in Louisiana.
Keim says Louisiana can expect two more days of rainfall, especially in the southwestern corner of the state. He says today will likely see the heaviest rains, and there’s still more to come tomorrow. He says Harvey is dumping a lot of water because the system is moving so slowly.
Keim says unfortunately, hurricane season is still far from over. The midpoint of the season isn’t until September 10, so there could be more storms to come. But he says Harvey is starting to ingest some dry air, which is weakening the system a bit.
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Hundreds of Louisiana volunteers, who make up the Cajun Navy, are assisting first responders conduct search and rescue efforts in Texas. Governor John Bel Edwards says the state is working with the Cajun Navy to coordinate efforts. He says they are not regulating the volunteer citizens, but want to ensure rescuers are organized with Texas authorities.
Edwards says he’s spoken directly with members of the Cajun Navy. He says the biggest concern for the volunteers on their personal boats is refueling, so the state is helping with that effort when they arrive at the Texas border
Edwards says being in the same position a year ago, we all understand the importance of the Cajun Navy and appreciate their help.
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The North Louisiana Red Cross opens an evacuation shelter in Shreveport today. Executive Director Michelle Davidson says the shelter at Morning Star Baptist Church will house up to 250 individuals. He says they have other shelters on standby that can open as needed.
Davidson says this shelter will be a vital resource for those fleeing the storm who have likely been dealing with the effects of Harvey for several days. She says as of now, the shelter is only intended to house storm victims for the short term.
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Cleco is preparing for Tropical Storm Harvey’s arrival in Louisiana as five of the energy company’s operation regions are in the path of the storm. Jennifer Cahill with Cleco says they are doubling the number of crews available to safely restore power.
Cahill says downed powerlines are the biggest possibility during Harvey because of falling trees and limbs. She says Cleco is reminding customers to stay safe and beware of rising water…
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