Lafayette Sheriff Mark Garber’s daughter and babysitter were found safe this morning following an all-night search for the missing girls. Don Molino has more…
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State Officials got together today to discuss Louisiana’s response plan should another storm hit us, while our neighbors are recovering. Michelle Southern reports…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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The daughter and babysitter of Lafayette Sheriff Mark Garber have been found safe after the two went missing in a canoe overnight. John Mowell with the sheriff’s office says the 21-year-old Juliana Brooks took 7-year-old Cora Garber canoeing in the sheriff’s pond, which is adjacent to a swamp.
Mowell says when the sheriff saw the babysitter’s phone and car at his home and no sight of the girls, he immediately deployed search and rescue teams. He says local law enforcement agencies joined in the effort, along with volunteers in canoes who searched throughout the night before finding the girls in the Lake Martin area near an oil well.
Cut 4 (11) “precautionary measure”
Mowell says the girls used mud from the swamp to protect themselves from mosquitos. He says the babysitter is a skilled kayaker with survival skills, which came in handy during the long night in the swamp.
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State Officials got together today to discuss Louisiana’s response plan should another storm hit us while portions of the Gulf Coast region are still recovering from prior events. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says we are still in the heart of hurricane season, and resources in Louisiana could be strained:
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Steele says Texas has historically been one of our strongest allies during an emergency, but much of that support may not be available now while their Hurricane Harvey recovery begins…:
Steele says not only is the state dealing with it’s own recovery from Harvey impacts, there are many Louisiana residents still living in temporary housing from the 2016 floods. He says even if Irma doesn’t hit Louisiana, there are other storms already starting to stack up…:
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Hurricane Irma is a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm heading toward the Leeward Islands. National Hurricane Center Forecaster Chris Landsea says Irma will reach the Lesser Antilles today…
The models show Irma turning north once it reaches south Florida and not impacting Louisiana, but Landsea says Louisiana should not let it’s guard down….
Landsea says Irma is the strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane on record with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour….
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CEOWORLD magazine ranks UL-Lafayette’s petroleum engineering department the seventh best in the nation and thirteenth in the world. Department Head Dr. Fathi Boukadi (Fah-tee Boo-kah-dee) says this is the result of years of hard work by students, faculty, and staff. He says it’s an honor for the program to be ranked among the best in the world, and he hopes to continue to improve the department.
Job placement rate and recruiter feedback were key factors in the report. Boukadi says his students aren’t having much trouble finding work. He notes even in the face of a struggling oil and gas industry, UL-Lafayette students are holding down jobs in the field.
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Boukadi says students in his department get lots of hands on experience from the local oil and gas sector, which makes UL-Lafayette students even more competitive in the sector. He hopes this ranking and a rebounding oil market helps attract more students to the program.
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