Hurricane Laura has passed and the long recovery process begins. The I-10 Bridge in Lake Charles is closed after the Isle of Capri riverboat casino barge got loose in the lake and lodged itself under the bridge. The casino has been pulled away, but state Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson says they are looking to see if the collision did any structural damage.
Cut 4 (11)“…there”
Not too far away from the bridge, a fire at the Biolab chemical plant in Westlake continues to smolder. A precautionary shelter in place continues within one mile of the plant.

Hurricane Laura also knocked 67 water systems offline in Louisiana. Chief Engineer at the state health department Amanda Ames says many of these systems have no power
Cut 16 (08) “…a boil advisory..”
Ames says over 220-thousand residents are impacted by the outages.

Electric companies are dispatching thousands of workers to restore power following Hurricane Laura. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

Hurricane Laura is responsible for six deaths in Louisiana. Four of the victims died when a tree came crashing into their home. A 24-year-Calcasieu Parish man also died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator inside his home. Another death in Calcasieu has been classified as a drowning.

Laura is a tropical depression near Memphis this morning, but it left a mess in Louisiana. Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter says the Capitol One Tower looks like swiss cheese as several windows are blown out of the 22-story building. The Lake Charles I-10 bridge is closed after Laura’s strong winds dislodged a casino riverboat and the floating gambling hall slammed into the bridge…
cut 7 (03) “…bridge”
That’s Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson. In Rapides Parish, numerous trees are down and power is out in most of the parish. Tommy Carnline with the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s office…
cut 13 (09) “…here”
And in Ruston, Mayor Ronny Walker says they suffered a worse blow than last year’s deadly tornado…
cut 14 (08) “….town”
Laura is responsible for at least six deaths.

Getting the power back on is an important part of the recovery process. Entergy Vice President of Customer Service Melonie Stewart says when the winds died down, assessment teams took to the skies to help formulate a plan…
cut 10 (08) “….understand the damage”
Entergy has 62-hundred workers mobilized, but they report 238-thousand customers are without power this morning.

Getting water turned back on is another issue. The state health department says Hurricane Laura has knocked 67 water systems offline. L-D-H’s Chief Engineer Amanda Ames says some of the systems could be functional again as soon as power is restored, but other factors may result in longer service restoration times.
Cut 18 (07) “…of the damage.”
Ames says depending on how long water service may be out, bottled water may be delivered to an area.

The Lake Charles region may have been spared the predicted catastrophic storm surge but the winds from Hurricane Laura have left a mark, and now residents in nearby Westlake, Moss Bluff, and Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish are being instructed to stay inside due to a chemical fire at the BioLab plant. State Police Trooper Derek Senegal says hazmat teams are on scene…

Cut 12 (13) “…of it reigniting.”

The plume is ignited chlorine.

Elsewhere in the area the Isle of Capri riverboat barge had to be dislodged from under the I-10 Bridge, causing a shutdown of the bridge for inspection.

Laura made landfall with 150 mile per hour winds, and winds of at least 100 miles per hour were reported in Lake Charles. Calcasieu Police Jury President Tony Guillory…

Cut 5 (05)  “…structure damage. ”

Four people are so far confirmed to have died from incidents related to the hurricane. 14-year-old girl in Leesville died when the fierce winds knocked a tree down on her home. Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft says with so many trees down it wasn’t easy to get to the scene…

Cut 6 (11) “residence”

Other fatalities were reported in Jackson and Acadia Parishes.

Governor Edwards says the state is lucky to have avoided the worst-case scenarios projected for Hurricane Laura but still a record number of power crews and search and rescue first responders are scouring areas in the path of the storm. He asks you not to get in their way.

Cut 16 (10) “…do that.” 

1,500 search and rescue workers are active in the state.

Hurricane Laura is now a tropical storm but before she made landfall, she registered 150 mile per hour winds and was a near category five hurricane. Governor John Bel Edwards says so far four lives have been lost and at least 600,000 Louisianans are without power and that number is expected to climb.

Cut 15 (12) “electricity” 

Congressman Ralph Abraham is surveying areas of the state impacted by Hurricane Laura. Abraham says he started at daybreak in his vehicle in Lake Charles then drove north to Deridder and on to Alexandria.

Cut 10 (10) “…left untouched.”

Governor Edwards tweeted this morning highly discouraging citizens from sightseeing damage caused by Laura because the area is not safe.

Hurricane Laura’s fierce winds have left a trail of catastrophic damage. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

Just weeks after parish officials voted to keep a Confederate monument outside the Calcasieu Parish courthouse in Lake Charles it was toppled during last night’s hurricane. The statue, dubbed “The South’s Defenders” monument was at the center of debate recently as confederate monuments were being removed across the nation during George Floyd protests.

Governor Edwards says worst-case projections for Hurricane Laura did not come to pass, but the state still faces a long recovery…
cut 2 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

Edwards says four people have died in Louisiana as a result of Laura. In each case, it was a tree that fell on a home, including in Leesville where a 14-year-old was killed. Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft says they have numerous trees down…
cut 7 (10) “…limited”

Residents in Westlake, Moss Bluff, and Sulphur have been told to shelter in place because of a chemical fire that contains chlorine from the Biolab Plant. State Trooper Derek Senegal says residents need to stay indoors with doors closed and the A-C off…
cut 13 (09) “…as a precaution”
BioLab is a chemical refinery plant in Westlake close to I-10. They make cleaning products and disinfectants

Congressman Ralph Abraham has been surveying the damage. He started his day in Lake Charles and then began making his way to the north and he’s amazed by the amount of structural damage he’s seen…
cut 11 (16) “…lot of damage”
Senator Bill Cassidy says he’s spoken with President Trump about Laura and the first president could visit the damaged areas in the near future.

Governor Edwards says the state is lucky to have avoided the worst-case scenarios projected for Hurricane Laura just 24 hours ago. Up to 20 feet of storm surge was predicted. Edwards says at most we got 12, and the surge did not push into Lake Charles as was expected. Despite this he says at least four lives have been lost, and…

Cut 14 (11) “shelter”

One of those fatalities happened near Iota in Acadia Parish. Sheriff K-P Gibson says a 68-year-old man died when a tree fell on his home. Gibson doesn’t believe Acadia Parish suffered the type of damage seen in Calcasieu and Vernon, but it could take a while before power is restored…

Cut 9 (11) “…get em up”

Residents of Westlake, Moss Bluff, and Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish are being instructed to stay inside due to a chemical fire at the BioLab plant.  The fire has sent thick smoke into the air that contains poisonous chlorine.  Trooper Dereck Senegal says hazmat teams are on the scene tending to the situation.

Cut 12 (13) “…of it reigniting.”

Hurricane Laura made landfall this morning as a Category Four storm, maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, at 1 AM in Cameron. Lake Charles took a direct hit as they had sustained winds of at least 100 miles per hour. Calcasieu Police Jury President Tony Guillory spoke with us as he surveyed the damage…

Cut 3 (11)  “…major one”  

Laura is now a tropical storm.

Hurricane Laura is now a Tropical Storm but when she made landfall at 1am in Cameron she was a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. Lake Charles took a direct hit as they had sustained winds of at least 100 miles per hour. Calcasieu Police Jury President Tony Guillory says he’s never seen or felt wind speeds that he experienced when Laura barreled through Lake Charles…

Cut 4 (13)“ …good part” 

At least four fatalities have been reported in Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Laura. A 14-year-old girl in Leesville died when the fierce winds knocked a tree down on her home. Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft says hundreds of trees are down, so it took a while before his deputies could arrive at the scene

Cut 6 (11) “residence”

Congressman Ralph Abraham is out surveying areas of the state that were severely impacted by Hurricane Laura overnight Abraham says power lines and trees are down and debris is everywhere. He also praises first responders who are risking their lives to come to the aid of others.

Cut 11 (11) “…their public.”

His journey began this morning in Lake Charles, through Deridder and then onto Alexandria.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has issued an emergency alert warning for residents of Westlake, Moss Bluff, and Sulphur to shelter in place, and turn off their air conditioning and close windows and doors due to a chemical fire at BioLab this morning and 1-10 in Southwest Louisiana remains closed.

Also, the Isle of Capri Barge River Boat that was lodge under I-10 has been removed.

Hurricane Laura has now downgraded to a tropical storm but so far we know she’s claimed three in Louisiana. In Jackson Parish, a man died when a tree fell on his home. Another fatality happened near Iota in Acadia Parish. Sheriff K-P Gibson says a 68-year-old man died when a tree fell on his home.

Cut 8 (11) “under that tree”

The youngest victim so far is a 14-year-old girl in Leesville who died when fierce winds knocked a tree down on her home. The eye of the storm went right over Vernon Parish. Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft believes it spawned a couple of tornadoes and they had winds of over 120-miles per hour…

Cut 7 (10) “…very, very limited”

Hurricane Laura made landfall this morning as a Category Four storm, maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, at 1 AM in Cameron. Lake Charles took a direct hit as they had sustained winds of at least 100 miles per hour. Calcasieu Police Jury President Tony Guillory (Gill-oh-ree) spoke with us as he surveyed the damage… Guillory says he remembers Hurricane Rita in 2005, but the damage from this storm is worse

Cut 5 (05)  “…structure damage. ”

Laura has now been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Congressman Ralph Abraham started at daybreak today surveying areas of the state damaged by Laura. While the storm surge was half of what was predicted, Abraham says the state however still suffered extreme damage from Hurricane Laura.

Cut 12 (16) “…lot lot of damage”

Hurricane Laura’s fierce winds have left a trail of catastrophic damage. Jeff Palermo has the story…
cut 1 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”

There have been two fatalities reported as a result of Laura, a 14-year-old girl from Leesville and a 68-year man from Iota in Acadia Parish died when trees fell on their homes. There’s also a large chemical fire at BioLab near Lake Charles and residents in the area who did not evacuate have been told to shelter in place and to turn off their A-C units.

Congressman Ralph Abraham is out surveying areas of the state that were severely impacted by Hurricane Laura overnight. Abraham says he started at daybreak in his vehicle at Lake Charles then drove north to Deridder and on to Alexandria.
Cut 10 (10) “…left untouched.”
Abraham says power lines and trees are down and debris is everywhere. He also praises first responders who are risking their lives to come to the aid of others.

The Louisiana National Guard has activated more than three-thousand Guardsmen to assist in the recovery operations. Sergeant Denis Ricou…
cut 25 (12) “….efforts”
Guardsmen have also strategically placed 921-thousand liters of water and 528-thousand M-R-Es for distribution and the soldiers will spend the day helping to clear debris from the roadways.

Hurricane Laura made landfall this morning as a Category Four storm, maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, at 1 AM in Cameron. Lake Charles took a direct hit as they had sustained winds of at least 100 miles per hour. Calcasieu Police Jury President Tony Guillory spoke with us as he surveyed the damage…
Cut 3 (11) “…major one”
Two fatalities have been reported in southwest Louisiana. A 14-year-old girl in Leesville and a 68-year-old man who lived near Iota in Acadia Parish. Both victims died when a tree came crashing through their home.

Laura is still a hurricane at this hour and is 55 miles southeast of Shreveport. Desoto Parish Sheriff Jason Richardson says hurricane-force winds are rare in north Louisiana…
cut 11 (05) “…here”

Governor John Bel Edwards told CNN this morning that we got a break on the storm surge and it was half of what was forecasted, which was as high as 20 feet. But we are seeing images of a fire at a Westlake Chemical Plant in Lake Charles. State Police is reportedly responding as large plumes of smoke are rolling across I-10.

When it comes to the coronavirus, Louisiana will remain in Phase Two until September 11th. Brooke Thorington has more…
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”