4:30 LRN Newscast August 29

Hurricane Ida made landfall just before noon near Port Fourchon packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. Ida’s maximum sustained winds have fallen to 130 miles per hour as it moves northwestward over southeastern Louisiana. New Orleans has yet to feel the brunt of the storm, but U-S Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Matt Roe believes the 14-point-five billion-dollar levee system constructed after Katrina can withstand Ida’s intense storm surge…
cut 13 (17) “…. second line of defense”
Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove says the parish has a 78-mile levee system and as far as he can tell it’s holding up…
cut 5 (13) “…we’re ok”
But the property damage is expected to be intensive.

Governor Edwards says there are 15-hundred people sheltered statewide in 23 different shelters. Don Molino has info on how to find one…
cut 1 (35) “…I’m Don Molino”

Over 425-thousand Entergy customers are without power. Entergy spokesperson Brandon Freese says some customers in the hardest-hit areas could be without power for several weeks…
cut 18 (10) “…category four”

3:30 LRN Newscast August 29

The eye of Hurricane Ida came ashore just before 12:00 today in Port Fourchon, which is the southern tip of Lafourche. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Ida was packing winds at 150 miles per hour when it made landfall…
cut 17 (16) “…island hurricane”
Grand Isle has seen its fair share of hurricanes, but police chief Scooter Resweber told NOLA-dot-com that this is the worst he’s seen. The coastal town could be experiencing a storm surge as high as 16 feet to go along with 100-mile per hour plus winds.

President Joe Biden is keeping an eye on the situation from FEMA headquarters…
cut 2 (11) “…as it takes) (2x)

Hurricane Ida is making its way through coastal southeast Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. The eye of the storm is just west of Golden Meadow in Lafourche Parish. Over in Terrebonne Parish, Parish President Gordon Dove expects wind damage to be significant and encourages residents to shelter in place and even after Ida passes…
cut 4 (13) “…passes through”
Utility companies are anticipating a massive restoration effort that could take weeks to complete. Entergy spokesperson David Freese says there will be some real challenges….
Cut 20 (14) “…back of homes.”

2:30 LRN Newscast August 29

Hurricane Ida made landfall shortly before noon today as a Category Four hurricane near Port Fourchon, which is the southern tip of Lafourche Parish. In neighboring Terrebonne, Parish President Gordon Dove describes what he’s experienced so far.
Cut 3 (08) “…flying off.
Governor John Bel Edwards says Ida’s powerful winds and storm surge are just starting to produce damage in the coastal parishes of southeast Louisiana. But Edwards says based on modeling of Hurricane Ida, they do not anticipate overtopping of the Mississippi River levee or of the federal flood protection system in the New Orleans area…
cut 12 (13) “…through this”

Governor John Bel Edwards says there are 15-hundred people sheltered across the state in 23 different shelters. Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the American Red Cross is working with local officials to open shelters…
cut 9 (15) “….source of information”
To find a shelter, text l-a-shelter to 898-211 or call 2-1-1.

There are nearly 300-thousand outages and that number is expected to climb significantly as Ida lashes out on Southeast Louisiana. Entergy spokesperson David Freese says once it is safe to do so power crews will begin a massive restoration effort….
Cut 19 (11) “…effort.”
Edwards says up to 30-thousand electricity linemen will fan out in the state once Ida leaves.

11:30 LRN Newscast August 28

Hurricane Ida is in the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Schott says Ida is expected to move northwest towards Terrebonne Parish and make landfall as a Category Four storm…
cut 15 (17) “…heavy rainfall”
Ida’s damaging winds are expected to produce lengthy power outages. Vice President of Distribution at Entergy Louisiana John Hawkins says crews are going through pre-storm checklists, making sure that additional supplies, including poles, transformers, and other equipment are on hand…
cut 23 (07) “….safely”

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption and St. Charles parishes. Over in St. Bernard. Director of Homeland Security John Rahaim (Ram) says because Ida developed so quickly they did not have enough time to issue any formal evacuation orders….
cut 8 (13) “…electricity”
The state has started to open shelters. There’s one in Shreveport on Jewella Avenue and another in Bastrop on East Madison Street. For more information call 2-1-1.

And on the COVID front, Governor Edwards has extended the state’s indoor mask mandate through the month of September…
cut 29 (12) “…and effective”

10:30 LRN Newscast August 28

Hurricane Ida is a Category One hurricane about 435 miles southeast of Houma. The storm is moving northwest at 16 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. Ida is forecasted to make landfall as a Category Four Hurricane in Terrebonne Parish tomorrow night and then it will turn north towards Baton Rouge. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Schott…
cut 12 (13) “….outages”
Governor John Bel Edwards says Louisianans have until nightfall to get ready for Ida. Edwards says he knows this is very short notice but Ida is developing and moving much faster than the initial forecasts.
Cut 9 (07) “…hour”

State Police report many of the state’s interstates and evacuation routes are congested with heavy traffic due to Hurricane Ida evacuees. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell says because Ida developed so quickly, there was not enough time to implement contra-flow on Interstate 10…
cut 6 (08) “…have the time”
Cantrell says for residents who do not evacuate, she asks they shelter in place.

Ochsner Health system says there are no plans to evacuate any of their hospitals as they say they have enough generator power, food and water to take care of their patients. But Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas says they do not have the capacity to accept a large influx of patients from other healthcare facilities due to COVId stretching resources…
cut 4 (05) “….challenging”

9:30 LRN Newscast August 28

Hurricane Ida is a Category one storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour in the southeastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. It’s expected to strengthen as it moves across the warm waters of the Gulf. The forecast calls for Ida to be a Category Four storm when it hits Terrebonne Parish tomorrow afternoon. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Schott says 10 to 15 feet of storm surge is possible from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Morgan City, and surge levels are still dangerous across the entire rest of the state’s coastline.
Cut 13 (09) “…water.”
Damaging winds are a major concern with this storm. St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper says power companies have prepositioned crews….
cut 7 (09) “…period of time”

There’s a major traffic jam on Interstate 10 heading out of New Orleans. Mandatory evacuations have been issued for St. Charles, Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. New Orleans has ordered a mandatory evacuation for parts outside of the city’s levee system and a voluntary evacuation for the rest of New Orleans. Governor Edwards says the state is prepared to conduct high water rescues…
cut 11 (12) “….Louisiana”

Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas says there are no plans to evacuate their hospitals as they have enough generator backup power, food, and water if local water systems are impacted…
cut 5 (09) “…city water”
Thomas says they are also treating 836 COVID patients across their system. 88-percent are unvaccinated.

8:30 LRN Newscast August 28

Hurricane Ida is now in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and it’s expected to strengthen as it moves over warm water towards Louisiana. Ida is expected to make landfall in Terrebonne Parish as a Category Four storm. Governor John Bel Edwards says tropical storm-force winds could start impacting coastal portions of southeast Louisiana tonight…
cut 10 (10) “…storm”
Ida is expected to bring 140-mile per hour winds to the coast and 100-mile per hour winds well inland. 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall over southeast Louisiana and Ben Schott with the National Weather Service says up to 20 inches is possible…
cut 14 (03) “…flooding”
The Louisiana National Guard is staging highwater vehicles, boats, engineer work teams, and other assets across 13 parishes.

Once Ida makes landfall tomorrow, the forecast track shows the storm moving northwest towards Franklin and New Iberia and then turning towards the northeast, past Baton Rouge and towards Natchez, Mississippi. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says sugarcane farmers are keeping a close eye on Ida’s forecasted track…
cut 15 (07) “….target zone”

The state’s largest healthcare system, Ochsner Health says they don’t plan on having to transfer any patients out of their hospitals ahead of Hurricane Ida. CEO Warner Thomas says they are prepared with water, fuel, and generators.
Cut 3 (12) “…this time”
However, Thomas says Ochsner’s ability to accept a large influx of patients from other facilities, like smaller hospitals and nursing homes, that could be faced with evacuations during the hurricane, could be extremely difficult due to COVID stretching resources.

7:30 LRN Newscast August 28

Hurricane Ida is a Category One hurricane about 385 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm is moving northwest at 16 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the warm sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico will give Ida plenty of fuel to feast on…
cut 4 (08) “…storm”
Ida is forecasted to make landfall as a Category Four Hurricane in Terrebonne Parish tomorrow afternoon and then it will turn north towards Baton Rouge. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Schott…
cut 12 (13) “….outages”

A mandatory evacuation started at 5 o’ clock this morning for all of Lafourche Parish, especially for those residents in low-lying areas, mobile homes and R-Vs. A parish-wide evacuation started for Terrebonne Parish at 6 AM. Tangipahoa Parish has also recommended that its residents evacuate.

The state’s largest healthcare system, Ochsner Health says they don’t plan on having to evacuate any patients during the hurricane. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (32) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington”

6:30 LRN Newscast August 28

Hurricane Ida is a Category one storm, 510 miles southeast of New Orleans and is expected to be a Category Four storm when it makes landfall Sunday afternon in Terrebonne Parish…
cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

National Weather Service forecaster Jared Klein says the National Hurricane Center is projecting a storm surge of 10 to 15 feet between Morgan City and the Mouth of the Mississippi River….
cut 11 (11) “…coast”

Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says today is your last day to make your final preparations….
cut 8 (08) “…power lines come down”
Vice President of Distribution at Entergy Louisiana John Hawkins Junior encourages Entergy customers if they are not signed up already to download the Entergy app on their smartphone or sign up on their website for notifications in advance, for updates and restoration efforts…
cut 14 (09) “…their outage”
140-mile per hour plus winds are expected along the coast. 100 to 120 miles per hour could be felt in Morgan City and Thibodaux. 80 to 100 mile per hour winds for Lafayette and Hammond are possible.

4:45 LRN sportscast

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Jameis Winston has won the battle to be the Saints starting quarterback when they begin the regular season in two weeks. Winston beat out Taysom Hill and separated himself when he completed nine of ten passes, including a couple of touchdown passes to Marquez Callaway in Monday’s preseason game.

New Orleans will conclude the preseason tomorrow against the Cardinals. Because of the approaching Hurricane Ida, kick-off has been moved up from seven PM to noon.

Third-round pick Paulson Adebo has a chance to be a starting cornerback for the Saints. Adebo didn’t play last season at Stanford, but he says there were some benefits to that decision
Cut 17 (19) “… day by day.”

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame will induct its 2021 class this weekend in Natchitoches. LSU legend Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is finally getting in. He was known as Chris Jackson when he played for the Purple and Gold and set the NCAA freshman scoring record when he averaged 30 points a game during the 1988-89 season. Ronnie Rantz is the CEO of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation
Cut 19 (16) “…stats.”
The 2021 class also features former LSU defensive tackle Glen Dorsey, former Southern University baseball standout Rickie Weeks and Saints receiver Marques Colston, the team’s all-time leading receiver.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron says his team is getting healthy on the offensive line. Right guard Chasen Hines and reserve lineman Anthony Bradford have missed most of preseason camp with undisclosed injuries, but they should be ready for the opener against UCLA.