The Department of Children and Family Services says they’ve decided to open a second mega-shelter in the state for flood victims in Texas. Michelle Southern reports…:
voicer 2 (32) “I’m Michelle Southern”

The White House says President Donald Trump will visit Houston, before making a trip to Lake Charles tomorrow. Details of the trip have yet to be finalized. The President has said he’s pledging one-million dollars of his own money on Harvey relief efforts.

Irma will remain a powerful hurricane over the Labor Day weekend, but it’s no threat to the U-S at the moment, because it’s way out in the Atlantic. Most of the models show Irma steering clear of the Gulf of Mexico, but Eric Blake with the National Hurricane Center says we shouldn’t let our guard down…
Cut 7 (08) “prediction”

And law enforcement will be on the lookout for drunk drivers this Labor Day holiday as it’s a Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over weekend. Dr. Katara Williams, executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, says there are too many other options for anyone to drive drunk….
cut 15 (08) “…smart options”
In Louisiana, about 47-percent of vehicle fatalities involve drunk driving.

U.S. Representative Ralph Abraham from Richland is flying Harvey missions this Labor Day weekend for the U.S. Air Force. The major in the Air Force Auxillary says cameras are attached to his plane for others to observe and look for structural damage to infrastructure and if there are any Harvey victims in distress….
cut 5 (09) “…some tasks”
Abraham performed similiar fly overs during last year’s Louisiana floods.

The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau is gearing up for a busy weekend as the LSU-BYU season opener takes place at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Kristian Sonnier with the CVB says there’s a level of excitement in the Big Easy..:
Cut 15 (09) “summer thunderstorm”
Kickoff is at 8:30 pm tomorrow night.

Today through Sunday, hunters can receive a sales tax discount when they purchase firerams. Louisiana Department of Revenue spokesperson Byron Henderson says a wide range of guns, ammo, and hunting accessories are subject to only three percent state sales tax instead of the full five percent….
cut 9 (12) “…in the regulations’
Henderson says eligible purchases are fully exempt from all local sales taxes.

Irma will remain a powerful hurricane over the Labor Day weekend, but it’s no threat to the U-S at the moment, because it’s way out in the Atlantic. Most of the models show Irma steering clear of the Gulf of Mexico, but Eric Blake with the National Hurricane Center says we shouldn’t let our guard down…
Cut 7 (08) “prediction”

Drivers can expect to see higher prices at the pump as Texas refineries cope with storm damage. Michelle Southern has more…
Voicer 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”

President Donald Trump is expected to visit Louisiana tomorrow to see the impacts of Tropical Storm Harvey on the Bayou State. Exact details have yet to be announced by the White House, but the President is expected to travel to the Lake Charles area. There are many Texas evacuees sheltering there.

The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Irma, which is way out in the Atlantic Ocean, will remain a powerful hurricane for days. Forecaster Eric Blake says Irma is about 15-hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands…
cut 6 (10) “…five days’
It’s still too early to know the eventual path, but most computer models show Irma staying away from the Gulf of Mexico.
Because of budget cuts, the state is turning over Hodges Garden State Park in Sabine Parish back to the original owners at the end of the month. The assistant secretary in charge of the state park system, Robert Barham, says he’s hopeful the Hodges Foundation will continue to make a portion or all of the park availble to the public….
cut 12 (09) “…beautiful place”
The 948-acre recreation area near Toledo Bend is home to one of the nation’s largest botantical gardens.

Harvey continues to move across the state at around 8 miles per hour. State Climatologist Barry Keim says fortunately Louisiana has been spared from much of the flooding seen in Texas. He says that’s because the system ingested dry air.
Cut 12 (08) “Gulf of Mexico”
Keim says the greatest rainfall total from Houston is nearly 52 inches, while the Bayou State has topped out at around 30 inches in extreme southwest Louisiana.

Thousands of homes in Texas are damaged or destroyed by Harvey. Governor John Bel Edwards says based on the reports he’s getting, Louisiana has avoided significant damage…
Cut 9 (09) “on the chin”
But Edwards says we must stay vigilant in Louisiana .

Calcasieu was spared signigicant damage when Tropical Storm Harvey moved across the parish this morning. Don Molino has the story…
Voicer 1 (29) “I’m Don Molino”

The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s office is strongly advising residents on the western side of the parish to evacuate. That’s because the Sabine River Authority opened all of the flood gates at Toledo Bend Lake by one foot because of rising waters. The authority says they may continue to raise the gates in one-foot increments to provide a controlled release.

The center of Tropical Storm Harvey is about 50 miles southwest of Alexandria. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Harvey is still capable of producing heavy rainfall, especially over western Louisiana…
cut 11 (08) “….flooding problems”

Calcasieu Parish officials say they dodged a bullet when Tropical Storm Harvey made another landfall on the western Louisiana coast this morning. Sheriff Tony Mancuso….
cut 3 (11) “…and Port Arthur”
Mancuso says they had flooding today in the town of Stark, which required rescues.

And State Police reports LA Highway 111 between Beech Grove Loop and LA Higway 392 in Vernon Parish will be closed due to high water.

Governor John Bel Edwards is looking to help Texas as the Lone Star state struggles with catastrophic flooding from Harvey…
Voicer 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Prepareness urges residents to stay up to date with traffic conditions by visiting 511-dot-la-org. He says motorists cannot enter Texas through I-10….
Cut 7 (11) “I-20″

The center of tropical Storm Harvey is about 70 miles southwest of Alexandria and heading in that direction with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the system is slowly trekking northeast through the Bayou State….
cut 10 (07) “…into Tennessee”
Parishes in both southeast and northeast Louisiana are under a tornado watch until 6 p.m and flash flood watches are in place for much of the state until tomorrow night.

At a 12:30 briefing, Governor John Bel Edwards says there are hundreds of roads in Louisiana with standing water….
cut 8 (12) “….of harm”
Up date to date road conditions can be found at 5-1-1-dot-la-dot-org. I-10 westbound just across the Texas border is closed because of flooding.

Tropical Storm Harvey made another landfall in southwest Louisiana early this morning and Calcasieu Parish officials say they were spared. Sheriff Tony Mancuso says prior to landfall, roughly 200 residents had to be rescued after taking on water, but the parish is in pretty good shape. He says they are fortunate, because they could not have handled more water.
Cut 4 (12) “taken much”

New Orleans received minimal impacts from Harvey and the city is in good shape to host the LSU-BYU football game on Saturday. Tickets for the contest went on sale today and LSU ticket Manager Brian Broussard says he’s not sure how many original ticket holders from Texas will come to New Orleans….
cut 14 (09) “…this game”

Tropical Storm Harvey is weakening as it moves farther inland. The center of the storm is 70 miles southwest of Arkansas. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Harvey is still capable of producing heavy rainfall…
cut 11 (08) “….flooding problems”
And a tornado watch has been posted until six o’ clock for parishes in northeast and southeast Louisiana.

Calcaciseu Sheriff Tony Mancuso says they do have some flooding in their parish, but not as bad as what they were anticipating. Mancuso says unfortunately just across the Sabine River, the flooding is intense…
cut 5 (12) “…the coming days’
As the sheriff said, I-10 westbound is closed at mile post 4 in Texas, because of flooding.

Governor Edwards is looking to help Texas as the Lone Star state struggles with catastrophic flooding from Harvey. I’m Jeff Palermo has the story…
voicer 2 (30) “….I’m Jeff Palermo”

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 4 PM for the LSU-BYU football game that’s been relocated to the Mercedes Benz Superdome. LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard says if you had tickets for the game in Houston, they will not work in New Orleans…
cut 15 (09) “…going to work”