Calcasieu Parish officials say 70 percent of areas south of I-10 in the region may flood and are pleading with residents to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Laura…

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NOAA predicts Laura will still be a hurricane by the time it makes it up to the Bossier-Shreveport area. Matt Doyle has the story.

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Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall in less than 24 hours near the Louisiana/Texas border as a strong Category 3 storm. Kevin Barnhart has more.

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A mandatory evacuation order has been called for Calcasieu Parish ahead of Hurricane Laura’s expected landfall early tomorrow morning.

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter was unequivocal in his message that anyone who has the means of doing so needs to get out of the area as soon as possible.

Cut 4 (06)“…to do” 

Those who lack the means to evacuate themselves are being directed to Burton Coliseum via city busses to be transported to a safe area. Due to COVID complications, officials aren’t sure where that is yet.

Laura is projected to be a category three when it makes landfall near the Texas-Louisiana line. Hunter warned it is highly likely the area will see severe damage to critical infrastructure.

Cut 5 (11)  “…services.”

An estimated 70 percent of areas south of I-10 in the region are expected to flood.

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso has ordered a full evacuation of the jail.

Cut 6 (07) “…parish”

Mancuso says until the storm passes there will be a zero-tolerance policy on illegal behavior, and those arrested will have to ride out the storm and subsequent days in the jail.

The region hasn’t seen a storm like this since Rita in 2005, and Mancuso says that’s led some to forget important lessons from the past. With that in mind…

Cut 7 (09) “…help you”

Storm surge in Cameron and Calcasieu is projected to reach 13 feet, which according to region officials would be higher than that seen from Hurricane Rita.

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Cajun Navy Relief is activating its team of volunteers to assist in rescues, recoveries, and clean up from Hurricane Laura.  From boat crews to chainsaw crews, founder of Cajun Navy Relief Colleen Udell says it’s all hands on deck.

Cut 8 (07) “…as we speak.”

Cajun Navy Relief has been instrumental in helping with other natural disasters.  Udell says this response is going to be a little different as some COVID-19 spread mitigation efforts will be implemented into their operations.

Cut 9 (10) “…these critical rescues.”

The group of volunteers work without pay using their personal equipment to provide immediate rescue and relief.  For those in the path of the storm that are in need of assistance, Udell recommends calling 911 first, then reach out to the organization need be.

Cut 10 (07) “…help.cajunnavyrelief.com.”

Udell says those interested in contributing time or other resources to the mission can find information on how to do so at their website, cajunnavyrelief.com.

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Laura is now forecast to maintain hurricane strength through Thursday afternoon as it makes its way into northwest Louisiana.

National Weather Service is projected four to six inches of rain in Natchitoches, Homer, and Shreveport. Caddo Emergency Preparedness Deputy Director Robert Jump says they could see up to eight inches of rain in isolated areas.

Cut 11 (07) “…tough.”

The region could see sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or more, a highly unusual situation that far from the coast. Jump says people need to prepare…

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Jump says Caddo hasn’t seen this kind of storm since 2005 when Rita took a very similar path to Laura. 

Cut 13 (03) “…time” 

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Southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas are bracing for the impact of a Category 3 hurricane with the landfall of Laura around 1 AM Thursday morning. Governor John Bel Edwards says while the forecast has remained pretty consistent, the forecasted track has taken a slight shift to the east.

Cut 14 (07) “…Louisiana even further.”

Edwards says the storm continues to show parallels to Hurricane Rita in 2005.

Edwards urges all of coastal Louisiana to brace for storm surge.

Cut 15 (08) “…be most pronounced.” 

Edwards encourages residents to be where they will ride out the storm by noon today. Edwards says for the first time, the state is focusing on pre-landfall non-congregant shelter and has booked hundreds of rooms at hotels and motels for sheltering needs.

Cut 16 (08) “…appreciative of that.” 

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LSU is 31 days away from its season opener against Mississippi State. The Tigers are not only getting ready to defend their national championship, but they also must take steps to avoid a coronavirus outbreak within the team. Coach Ed Orgeron says the players have to make a sacrifice if they want to play

cut 17  (30) “…careful” 

LSU began preseason camp last week and Orgeron says one of the more impressive players is linebacker Jabril Cox, who was a two-time All-American at North Dakota State. Orgeron says he likes how Cox goes about his business

Cut 18  (29) “…complete linebacker”   

Cox is expected to be one of the Tigers top players on defense, while Myles Brennan will lead the offense. Two freshmen are battling it out to be Brennan’s backup. Orgeron says TJ Finley and Max Johnson are talented and they have great character and smarts…

cut 19 (20) “…calm in the pocket”  

Orgeron says wide receiver Koy Moore, a freshman from Rummel High, has really been impressive during camp.

300-dollar federally boosted unemployment benefits resume tomorrow with a 900-dollar check that will be retroactive to August 1^st. Matt Doyle has the story.

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Governor Edwards says Phase Two of the economic reopening will likely be extended.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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Hurricane Laura is expected to strike southwest Louisiana as a Category Three storm. There’s a mandatory evacuation for Cameron Parish, but Cameron’s assistant emergency preparedness director Ashley Buller says many people started leaving last weekend

Cut 3 (11)  “…around here”  

The National Hurricane Center is forecasting a storm surge as much as 13 feet from Sea Rim State Park in Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. The highest surge will be near and east of center. Buller says storm surge is their number one concern…

Cut 4 (11)“ …and water.” 

In 2005, Hurricane Rita flattened nearly every structure in Cameron Parish. Buller says that storm is still fresh in many peoples’ minds

Cut 5 (12)  “…the best”

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300 dollar federally enhanced unemployment benefits will be sent out to qualifying unemployment recipients tomorrow.

Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Dejoie says this first payment is retroactive to August 1^st, so expect a much larger than usual payment Wednesday.

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Starting next week the enhanced benefits will only be an additional 300 dollars a week on top of what you already receive from the state.

Dejoie says over 400,000 people will receive the benefits, but about 87,000 unemployed will not qualify, most of them because they don’t earn enough in-state benefits.

Cut 7 (10) “…plus up.”

Dejoie says that decision was a Labor Department ruling, and not a state decision.

About 20,000 receive over 100 a week from the state but are ineligible because they did not mark down that their unemployment is COVID-related. Dejoie says it could be an oversight on their part.

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The benefits are being funded by FEMA emergency response dollars, and Governor Edwards projects that pot will last about five to six weeks.

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Governor Edwards says he will likely extend Phase 2 restrictions but the exact details are not known. The current Phase 2 order expires Friday and it keeps most businesses at 50% capacity, bars closed, and masks mandatory.  Edwards says the start of a new school year is one reason for this decision…

Cut 9 (11) “…into contact.”

Edwards says the state will not have the same level of information and data they normally would due to the impact of Marco and Laura on drive-up testing facilities and adds emergency response could result in more viral spread.

Cut 10 (08) “…of super spread.”

Edwards says while the state has seen modest gains, the White House Coronavirus Task Force still believes Louisiana’s COVID metrics are a major concern.

Cut 11 (12) “…expressed some concerns.”

The current order is set to expire on Friday.  Edwards first confirmed the decision during an interview with Brian Haldane on Baton Rouge radio station Talk 107.3.

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Hurricane Laura is moving through the Gulf of Mexico with its eyes set for southwest Louisiana, southeast Texas coastline. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Laura is expected to ramp up to a category three storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour…

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A hurricane warning is in effect San Luis Pass, Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. Hurricane conditions are expected to arrive in this area tomorrow night and Keim says that’s when the heavy rainfall will start as well…

Cut 13 (09) “…southwestern Louisiana” 

Keim says wind speeds at landfall are expected to surpass 100-miles per hour at landfall. The storm is expected to keep moving north at landfall and remain a tropical storm Thursday night in northwest Louisiana.

Cut 14 (10) “ high gusts”