Power is still out across the three parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Laura, with Cameron, Calcasieu, and Beauregard Parishes having 99 percent, 91 percent, and 69 percent of customers out respectively. Governor John Bel Edwards says to help us recover the federal government is allowing Louisiana to use power generated in Texas
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Edwards is expected to make an announcement on whether the state will move into Phase Three sometime this afternoon or tomorrow. The State GOP passed a resolution calling on Edwards to is allows parish Governments to make their own decisions on COVID restrictions. Spokesperson Ben Smith says that means questions like whether to implement mask mandates, gathering limits, and bar closures.
Sixteen parishes impacted by Hurricane Laura have been approved to receive Disaster SNAP benefits. Brooke Thorington spoke with a DCFS representative.
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1,500 new COVID-19 cases are being reported by the state today but that’s including a backlog of 690 cases that were collected between August 6th and 4th, meaning we’ve got about 810 new cases today, a bit of a jump from earlier this week. 17 new hospital beds have been filled with COVID patients, and 15 additional deaths have also been reported.