State agencies are severely understaffed at a time when people need them the most. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says during tough budget times, there were employment cutbacks at the Department of Children and Family Services and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, because Louisiana hasn’t seen a hurricane in several years…:
cut 4 (09) “an emergency”

He says they may need to look into training state retirees in case of emergencies.

US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and the administrator from the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet say the federal government is committed to the flood recovery in Louisiana. Contreras-Sweet reminds flood victims they can apply for low interest loans to repair their damaged home or business..:
Cut 10 (08) “more manageable”

Some people have suggested that if the Comite River Diversion Project in East Baton Rouge Parish had been completed, the flooding wouldn’t have been so severe. But the Army Corps of Engineers says that’s not the case. Deputy District Commander Mark Wingate says the project would only have helped a small part of the affected region…:
Cut 13 (09) “in place”
Wingate says the project would have helped on the Comite River, but not the Amite or other rivers in the basin that also flooded.

After the agriculture businesses took a $110 million hit from the flood, crawfish farmers will have to wait to see how much their harvest was affected. LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, Mark Shirley, says some fields that were only flooded for a day or two should be alright. But he says fields that had more water could see some losses.

CUT 7 (10)  “the field”

FEMA housing units are returning to Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Two Arkansas men have been arrested after posting a video on SnapChat that shows them slitting a pit bull’s throat. They heinous crime was committed in Bastrop. Boots Stanley and Steven Sadler of Ashley County, Arkansas, have been booked into the Morehouse parish jail on charges of aggravated cruelty to an animal and conspiracy.

Deputy Director for Disaster Recovery with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, Mark Riley, says they are trying to get people out of their cars and shelters as quickly as possible. He says there are already some manufactured homes in the state after the March flood in north Louisiana, but it will be a while before they get these flood victims moved into them.

cut 10 (10)  “to do”

Triple-A is warning motorists purchasing used cars to beware of flood damaged vehicles for sale. Spokesperson Don Redman advises people to use their sense of smell to detect any wet or musty odors inside the car. He also says to check for new carpeting and signs of dirt or mud.

CUT 7 (10) “the inside”

Redman says be careful when buying a car off of Craigslist or resale sites.

FEMA housing units are returning to Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness updated state leaders on the latest numbers on the flooding response today. They say nearly 85,000 homes were damaged in the disaster, about 2,700 remain in shelters where it was about 11,000 at the max. GOHSEP added that state agencies made more than 15,000 rescues, and an additional 13,000 people were rescued by the parish or private citizens.

Triple-A is warning motorists looking to purchase a used car to beware of flood damaged vehicles for sale. Spokesperson Don Redman says usually damaged cars are quickly moved farther away from the devastated areas as early as one week after the disaster. He says be careful when buying a car off of Craigslist or resale sites…:
CUT 6 (10) “of lots”
Redman says recommends getting a Carfax report to learn about the vehicle’s history.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission announced today extended call-center office hours to accept disaster unemployment assistance claims. LWC staff members will answer calls made to 1-866-783-5567 and assist individuals file for DUA from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. until further notice.

FEMA owned temporary housing units are returning to Louisiana for flood victims who are in the process of rebuilding their homes. Governor John Bel Edwards says these trailer units are different from what we saw after Hurricane Katrina…:
CUT 3 (10) “up better”
He sys flood victims who suffered over 17-thousand dollars in damages to their homes are eligible for a trailer. And also renters who lost everything.

The tropical wave moving west over the Leeward Islands and about 100 miles north of Puerto Rico continues to lack a well-defined center, according to the National Hurricane Center. They say the system could still become a tropical cyclone during the next couple of days, but without a defined center of circulation forecasting the storm’s path is difficult. It’s still too far away to determine exactly what this system will do.

State leaders are at the Capitol today to discuss storm recovery. State Sen. Bodi White of Central says they hope to shed more light on what worked and didn’t work during this disaster. He says the more information they can push out to the public, the better…:
Cut 9 (10) “local information”
He says the public will be able to make comments at next week’s meeting.

The historic floods in north Louisiana in Monroe, and the ongoing situation in South Louisiana hit five months apart, but are very different events.
Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 2 (25) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Governor John Bel Edwards says they will begin offering HUD-approved housing to flood victims beginning Monday. People will be able to stay in the manufactured housing units for up to 18 months. Edwards also introduced a program allowing people to get into their homes quicker. He says the Shelter At Home Program seeks to get people back into their own homes quickly…:
cut 14 (07) “and habitable”
Homeowners can only qualify if their home can become habitable with $15,000 or less in repairs.

A disturbance in the Atlantic Ocean still has not developed into a tropical depression or storm. The National Hurricane Center says there is a 50% chance this system near Puerto Rico will develop into at least a depression by Saturday and an 80% chance of development by next Tuesday. Where it may go from there is not clear. Computer models are still widely varying on the eventual path, but the majority show it heading for Florida.

Just five months after seeing residents of north Louisiana deal with a historic flood, south Louisianans are going through the same thing, but in very different ways. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The governor is touring Acadiana today and one of the stops will be in Youngsville. Mayor Ken Ritter says the flood devastated the Lafayette Parish town and they’re hoping for more federal assistance…:
Cut 6 (09) “their feet”

Governor John Bel Edwards has announced the state’s plan for getting flood victims out of shelters as quickly as possible. Jeff Palermo has more…:

Cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The governor is touring Acadiana today and one of the stops will be in Youngsville. Mayor Ken Ritter says the flood devastated the Lafayette Parish town, but they were able to quickly move into recovery…:
CUT 4 (07) “hardest hit areas”

State leaders will gather at the State Capitol today to discuss storm recovery. State Sen. Bodi White of Central says this hearing will hopefully shed light on what worked and didn’t work during this disaster. He says the more information they can push out to the public, the better…:
Cut 9 (10) “local information”
He says anyone can attend but they will not be taking public comment today.

Louisiana has seen two very different historic floods just five months apart — one on the top half and one on the bottom. Rev. Allison Sauls was living in flooded areas during both disasters and says it’s been incredible to see folks who are still recovering up north coming to help people in south Louisiana where she lives now…:
cut 11 (07) “months ago”
She says the flooding in the south was more widespread than it was up north.

Governor John Bel Edwards announces multiple options on how the state plans to house displaced flood victims. The governor says one option is manufactured homes for those who received extensive damage that will take months to repair…:
Cut 13 (11) “who need them”
Edwards says the program will be open on Monday and they’ll announce how people can apply.

The Louisiana Senate’s Homeland Security Committee holds a meeting today to get an update on recovery efforts two weeks after the floods. State Sen. Bodi White of Central says several agencies will meet and discuss the next steps…:
CUT 7 (10) “National Guard”
White says the public is welcome to attend the meeting, or watch live online on the Louisiana Legislature’s website.

Louisiana has seen two historic floods just five months apart, and though similar in nature, the devastation is vastly different. Rev. Allison Sauls was living in Monroe during the March flood, and recently moved to Lafayette just before the flood in south Louisiana. She says the flooding in the south was more widespread than it was up north…:
Cut 10 (10) “this go around”

The tropical wave moving west over the Leeward Islands and about 100 miles north of Puerto Rico continues to lack a well-defined center, according to the National Hurricane Center. They say the system could still become a tropical cyclone during the next couple of days, but without a defined center of circulation forecasting the storm’s path is difficult.