8:30 LRN Newscast September 2

President Biden will visit hurricane-damaged areas of Louisiana tomorrow and Governor Edwards has a list of requests he would like to see the federal government grant…
Cut 2 (32) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Today Governor Edwards will survey Ida damage in St. Bernard, Plaquemines and Tangipahoa Parishes. He’ll hold a media briefing at 5:15 in his hometown of Amite City. Over 900-thousand customers are without power and a lack of gasoline is also slowing response and recovery efforts.

FEMA’s Blue Roof Program is back, and according to Governor John Bel Edwards, it’s the quickest the agency has implemented the plan to help folks with hurricane-damaged roofs in Louisiana. Edwards says if you sustained roof damage, you should take advantage of the Army Corps of Engineers program that will cover the roof with fiber-reinforced sheeting…
Cut 13 (11) “…assistance.”
For more information go to blue-roof-dot-us.

Among the state’s areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ida, Terrebonne Parish is struggling to get back to some level of normalcy. Parish President Gordon Dove says he’s pleased the flooding was minimal for areas protected by levees.
Cut 4 (11) “…with water.”
Dove says they are working to set up a makeshift hospital because Terrebonne General and Leonard Chabert Medical Center are closed due to roof damage.

7:30 LRN Newscast September 2

Governor Edwards says a major part of his focus is getting more gasoline into southeast Louisiana to help fuel vehicles and generators. Long lines are common at any gas station that has fuel. Congressman Garret Graves has asked the Department of Energy and the EPA to authorize the release of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Hit hard by Hurricane Ida, Terrebonne Parish hits the road to recovery with a positive outlook. Kevin Gallagher has more…
Cut 1 (30) “…Gallagher reporting.”

According to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, 909-thousand customers are without power this morning. Entergy’s outage map shows that some lights are coming back on in parts of the French Quarter and the C-B-D. Governor Edwards says some homes and businesses in New Orleans East also have electricity back…
cut 9 (08) “….coming days”
President Biden will visit the state tomorrow to get a first-hand look at the damage.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture has used its mobile pet shleter to give pets a temporary home while storm victims try to find housing. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says they have three critical need shelters in place to assist evacuees until they are able to take their pets with them…
cut 11 (05) “….those pets”
Louisiana National Guard soldiers rescued at least 55 pets from flooded homes and neighborhoods.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

The Saints will play what should be their home opener against Green Bay in Jacksonville, because New Orleans will not be ready to host an NFL game on September 12th. New Orleans will conduct their practices leading up to the game in Fort Worth, Texas, and will likely stay there for the next month.

After spending the week in Houston, LSU leaves today for Los Angeles to continue preparations for Saturday’s season opener against UCLA. Coach Ed Orgeron says Houston has treated them well…
cut 18 (18) “…very impressive”
LSU freshman wideout Malik Nabers will not play Saturday because of a shoulder injury, but Orgeron says starting guard Chasen Hines has been at practice after missing most of camp with an undisclosed injury.

Louisiana Tech is preparing for its season opener in Starkville where the Bulldogs will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Tech Coach Skip Holtz wants to see his players execute the game plan…
cut 17 (17) “…high level”
State went four and seven last season under head coach Mike Leach who is heading into his second season as a head coach in the SEC. State fans are expecting a big season from quarterback Will Rogers and he has a talented young wide receiver ….Jaden Walley averaged nearly 72 receiving yards a game last season.

The 2021 high school football season begins tonight, but most schools in southeast Louisiana are sitting week one out, and for some teams, who knows when they’ll take the field again. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine says the association has made no decision regarding the status of teams who will be forced to miss multiple games.

6:30 LRN Newscast September 2

Residents in 13 parishes that experienced hurricane-force winds are eligible for the Blue Roof Program. Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise says it’s a free service through the U-S Army Corps of Engineers that provides homeowners in disaster areas with a fiber-reinforced sheeting to cover their damaged roofs…
cut 14 (11) “…roof fixed”
Interested residents can sign up at blue-roof-dot-us or call 1-888-766-3258.

Local, state and congressional leaders surveyed hurricane Ida’s damage by air Wednesday, and Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng admits until she took to the air to view the entire devastation, she didn’t grasp the magnitude of Ida’s wrath.
Cut 7 (07) “…communities.”
President Biden will visit southeast Louisiana tomorrow to see the damage first-hand.

As of last night, the Louisiana Public Service Commission reports 959-thousand customers are without power. That’s 54-percent of the state’s utility customers. 99-percent of the customers are in the dark in Terrebonne Parish. Parish President Gordon Dove says once the power is restored, Terrebonne’s recovery from Ida can begin in earnest…
cut 6 (09) “….in Terrebonne Parish”
State leaders and Louisiana’s Congressional delegation are also working on getting more fuel into southeast Louisiana.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has deployed its mobile pet shelter and animal transport task force to help shelter and care for pets. The mobile pet shelter went to LaPlace to help out storm victims that do not have a place for their pet for the time being and Strain says his office is also assisting livestock owners affected by Ida relocate their animals…
cut 12 (08) “….reaching out”

4:45 LRN Sportscast September 1

The NFL and the Saints have finalized where the Black and Gold will play their first regular-season game and where they will practice for what could be the next month. Instead of opening the season at home in the Superdome against the Packers, the Saints will play Green Bay in Jacksonville in the Jaguars’ home stadium. And the Saints say they will practice at TCU’s facilities in Fort Worth, Texas until New Orleans is ready to have people and businesses back.

When the Saints return to the field, Jameis Winston will be the starting quarterback. Coach Sean Payton says Winston earned the job and likes his unique skill set. Payton would not say if Hill will go back to his utility role on offense, but says Taysom will help the Saints win games this year…
cut 16 (16) “…this year” (2x)

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron said today that freshman wide receiver Malik Nabers will not play in the season opener against UCLA because of a shoulder injury. The injury could sideline him for several weeks. Orgeron has been impressed with Nabers who missed his senior season at Southside High School in Lafayette, because of LHSAA transfer rules.

La Tech Football Coach Skip Holtz has named Austin Kendall as the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs season opener at Mississippi State. Rhett Rodriguez will be the starting Q-B for ULM as they open the season at Kentucky. The Wildcats are 31 point favorites. ULM Coach Terry Bowden is asking his guys to play the best game they possibly can…
cut 18 (16) “….able to do”

LRN PM Newscall September 1

The damage reports from Grand Isle are extremely dire after Jefferson Parish officials visited what was once the state’s only habitable barrier island before Hurricane Ida. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 1 (38) “ …I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

____________________________________

 Progress is being made to get the lights back on in Louisiana, Dave Brannen has the details.

Cut 2 (32)…I’m Dave Brannen.”  

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The reports out of Grand Isle are catastrophic. Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng says she’s received dismal news from site visits of the barrier island, which was the state’s only habitable barrier island.

Cut 3 (13) “…are damaged.”

Sheng says the only people on the island are the mayor, the police chief, and some first responders. Because there is no means of communication on the island right now,  Sheng says they will be setting up a system to relay information to the residents of Grand Isle who she knows are anxious to receive word.

Jefferson Parish Councilman Ricky Templet says they’ve found 15 breaches in Burrito Levee that need to be addressed immediately because we are at the height of hurricane season. Despite the total devastation of Grand Isle, Templet says there is some bright news.

Cut 4 (12) “…all of this” 

Templet says there are updates on Jefferson Parish Facebook page, and he encourages residents to check for updates.

Jefferson Parish Director of Fire Services Bryn Adams wants to discourage any sightseers from visiting the area because it hinders responders’ ability to enter and exit the island. Adams says due to the lack of water on the island they are also unable to respond to any fires and there is a strong odor of natural gas on Grand Isle.  Adams says it will be several years before the island recovers.

Cut 5 (09) “…to where it was so.”

Sheng is encouraging those who are still in Jefferson Parish to leave and the parish remains under a 6 pm to 6 am curfew.

_____________________________________

After Hurricane Ida left New Orleans completely in the dark, power is slowly being restored.  Entergy President and CEO Deanna Rodriquez says the partial restoration took place at one this morning with the repair of a transmission line from Slidell…

Cut 6 (14) “… New Orleans east” 

More than 11,500 Orleans Parish customers had the lights back on by mid-morning today and that number is expected to keep increasing…

Cut 7 (11) “..Orleans Fire Department”  

Rodriquez and Entergy Louisiana President and CEO Philip May both say this is a first step in getting the power back on, May noting it’s a huge first step…

Cut 8 (12) “..Terrebonne Parish”

May says in the coming days  He expects to see a lot more progress as Entergy seeks to restore power to every last customer.  He says outside of New Orleans, the utility has restored power to more than 100,000 customers, most of that number in the Baton Rouge area.

The total number of outages has fallen below one-million and it’s now 989-thousand customers without electricity. That’s 44-percent of all Louisiana utility customers.

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Finding fuel is a difficult task in southeast Louisiana as many stations are out and there are long lines at stations that do have fuel. Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre says the local refineries that usually supply his agency and surrounding gas stations with fuel are not at the moment…

Cut 9 (13) “..we are” 

Webre says he can’t get answers on why local refineries are not up and running. He imagines they have to follow certain protocols

Cut 10 (12)     this storm” 

Webre says he’s been working storm recovery ever since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and he can’t remember such a fuel shortage. He says if they can’t get any gasoline from the local refineries, they may need to look out of state…

Cut  11 (06) “…other refinieries”  

_______________________

Congressman Garret Graves says southeast Louisiana took a heck of a hit from Hurricane Ida. Graves’ district extends down into Thibodaux and lower Terrebonne Parish and he’s amazed by the widespread destruction the Category Four storm produced from storm surge to damaging winds

Cut 12 (14) “…and trees”  

Graves says he’s amazed by the damage in LaPlace…

Cut 13 (12) “..of the hurricane”

Fuel shortages are also a problem as Ida has created production and distribution issues. Graves says power is not the only issue refineries are facing and it’s a topic he’s discussed with the White House…

Cut 14 (11) “…sources of energy””

11:40 LRN sportscast

The Saints will play their first game in Jacksonville as they will host the Packers at the Jaguars’ home stadium. The game will still kick off at 3:25 PM.

Season ticket holders will receive access to tickets prior to a general on-sale for fans. More details on ticket sales timing and policies will be released tomorrow.

For now, the team has relocated to Dallas, but they could not play at the Cowboys stadium, because there is a concert at the venue that week.

The players’ families also relocated to Dallas. Coach Sean Payton says it’s been an interesting experience…
cut 15 (14) “…people together”
The team will have the next few days off and then return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area next week to get ready for the Packers.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas will start the season on the physically unable to perform list, which means he’ll have to miss at least the first five regular-season games

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron said today that freshman wide receiver Malik Nabers will not play in the season opener against UCLA because of a shoulder injury. The injury could sideline him for several weeks. Orgeron has been impressed with Nabers who missed his senior season at Southside High School in Lafayette, because of LHSAA transfer rules.

ULM Football Coach Terry Bowden announces Rich Rodriguez will start at quarterback on Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats. Bowden likes that Rodriguez will attempt to execute the plays called by his dad, offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez…
Cut 17 (23) “…from there.”
Louisiana Tech Football Coach Skip Holtz has named graduate transfer Austin Kendall as the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs season opener at Mississippi State.

10:30 LRN Newscast September 1

More images and video is coming in that’s showing the widespread destruction from Hurricane Ida. Jefferson Parish officials say Grand Isle is uninhabitable and will be that way for some time. Captain Brennan Matherne with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s office says every structure that he’s seen has suffered some sort of damage…
cut 8 (11) “…house to house”

Meanwhile, the Saints are looking at spending the next month of the season, possibly in Dallas, as they wait for power and other basic utility to return to the New Orleans area. Coach Sean Payton says there are a lot of pluses in being displaced in north Texas…
cut 14 (13) “…hosting us”
General Manager Mickey Loomis says an announcement could be made today on where the season opener will be played.

Gas shortages are plaguing the state and with a number of refineries not up and running after Ida, prices at the pump are expected to rise. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”

Officials have been concerned about generator use with so many individuals without power. New Orleans EM says seven kids and five adults were brought to the hospital after getting carbon monoxide poisoning. Heat will be an issue again today as there’s a heat advisory in effect statewide today and tomorrow.

9:30 LRN Newscast

We are getting a better idea of the extent of the damage Hurricane Ida did to southeast Louisiana. Jefferson Parish officials say Grand Isle is uninhabitable as it is covered with three feet of sand. Congressman Garret Graves says he spent the day in LaPlace and he’s amazed by the amount of destruction…
cut 13 (12) “…of the hurricane”

Expect gasoline prices to rise over the next couple of weeks. Gas Buddy’s Senior Petroleum Analyst, Patrick DeHaan says the price could go up five to 15 cents…
cut 4 (11) “…these refineries”
There’s also a shortage of gas in southeast Louisiana. Hammond officials say there is no more gas in their city and Ascension Parish leaders say they need fuel.

Entergy says 769-thousand of its customers remain without power in southeast Louisiana. But their outage map says power has returned to some portions of New Orleans east. Cleco reports says they are sending more resources to St. Tammany and Washington parishes after completing restoration efforts in Iberia and St. Mary parishes.

The Saints are planning to stay away from New Orleans for the first month of the regular season. Kevin Gallagher has the story…
Cut 3 (32) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”

8:30 LRN Newscast September 1

Congressman Garret Graves says southeast Louisiana took a heck of a hit from Hurricane Ida. Graves’ district extends down into Thibodaux and lower Terrebonne Parish and he’s amazed by the widespread destruction the Category Four storm produced from storm surge to damaging winds…
cut 12 (14) “…and trees”
Jefferson Parish officials say Grand Isle is uninhabitable. But over in Lafourche Parish, Captain Brennan Matherne with the sheriff’s office, says there is some good news for south Lafourche…
cut 7 (12) “..couple hundred years”
But Matherne says every single structure he’s seen in Lafourche has sustained some sort of wind damage.

Louisiana has received approval from the federal government to allow food stamp recipients to purchase hot food products for immediate consumption. DCFS Assistant Secretary of Family Support Shavana Howard…
Cut 10 (11) “…corner store.”
Howard says waving the restriction is vital because many residents are displaced.

Hurricane Ida has disrupted the production of oil and gas. Gas Buddy’s Senior Petroleum Analyst, Patrick DeHaan, says prices could increase 5 to 15 cents over the next two weeks…
cut 5 (11) “…several weeks”
DeHaan says gas outages are also a big issue. Hammond officials say the city is out of gasoline and Ascension Parish leaders are begging for fuel trucks to re-fill their gas pumps.