FEMA approves an additional ten Louisiana parishes for individual assistance following Hurricane Laura, bringing the total number of parishes eligible for aid to 16. The ten parishes added yesterday were Acadia, Ouachita, Vermilion, Rapides, Natchitoches, Sabine, Winn, Grant, Jackson and Lincoln. Individuals who sustained damage from Laura are urged to apply for FEMA assistance at FEMA-dot-gov.

Edwards says residents in these parishes are also eligible for disaster unemployment…
cut 11 (05) “….for state benefits’

Edwards is also advising residents affected by Laura to preregister for disaster food stamps. Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says disaster food stamps are for people who lost food as a result of the disaster and income restrictions are loosened…
cut 13 (09) “…should register”
And you can register at the department of children and family services website.

Southwest Louisiana’s prolific chemical industry is temporarily out of commission due to Hurricane Laura. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Governor Edwards says 237-thousand utility customers are without power, down from a peak of 615-thousand. It could take a month before power is restored in Calcasieu Parish. Edwards says the state is also sheltering 11-thousand evacuees in 46 hotels, most of these storm victims are staying in New Orleans.

16 of 23 Hurricane Laura damaged parishes have been approved for FEMA individual assistance. Ouachita, Vermilion, Rapides, Natchitoches, and Lincoln are among the parishes who are now eligible for aid that includes temporary housing and home repairs. Senator Bill Cassidy…

Cut 3 (09)  “…their feet”  

Edwards says over 71-thousand Louisianans have already applied for FEMA Individual assistance.

The Department of Children and Family Services is asking those impacted by Hurricane Laura to pre-register for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Those currently receiving SNAP benefits are already registered for DSNAP, but DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says DCFS has a new system, and with that, their old database of DSNAP registrants is gone.

Cut 15 (12) “…need to pre-register.” 

Severe hurricane damage to southwest Louisiana has halted chemical manufacturing in one of the nation’s busiest industrial zones. Louisiana Chemical Association President Greg Bowser says they were spared the anticipated 15 feet of storm surge but the category four winds did a number on their facilities.

Cut 7 (08) “…wind”

The Lake Charles Liquefied Natural Gas import terminal is one of the nation’s few LNG terminals.

A recall petition to remove Governor John Bel Edwards has been filed by two Eunice men. The two have 180 days to collect about 600,000 signatures needed to trigger the recall vote. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says recalling a Governor is a mammoth task made all the more unlikely by the current pandemic conditions.

Cut 5 (09)  “…dollars”

The state health department reported 667 more coronavirus cases yesterday and 34 more deaths. Next week, the governor will make a decision on the state’s Phase Two status and whether the state is ready to move into Phase 3. John Bel Edwards is concerned about the upcoming three-day holiday weekend and whether it will lead to another surge in cases…
cut 10 (11) “…and deaths”
Today Governor Edwards will head to Lake Charles to get a first-hand look at hurricane response efforts.

Chemical plants in southwest Louisiana are offline because of a lack of power. Louisiana Chemical Association President Greg Bowser says workers at those plants are also scattered across the region…
cut 8 (08) “…Baton Rouge”

Two Eunice men file a recall petition against Governor John Bel Edwards. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The Saints and Alvin Kamara are working on a new contract as the star running back is entering the final year of his rookie deal that pays him just over two million dollars a year. There were reports that New Orleans was seeking trade offers for Kamara, but the latest reports now say the two sides will continue to talk about a contract that keeps him in the Big Easy.

16 of 23 Hurricane Laura damaged parishes have been approved for FEMA individual assistance. Ouachita, Vermilion, Rapides, Natchitoches, and Lincoln are among the parishes who are now eligible for aid that includes temporary housing and home repairs. Governor Edwards says households who are displaced are also eligible for 500-dollar grants…
cut 12 (09) “….can advantage of”
Go to disaster-assistance-dot-gov for more information.

Lee Joseph Vidrine and Michael Lyn Vidrine have filed a petition seeking to recall Governor John Bel Edwards out of office. State law says the Vidrines need to get 20-percent or just over 600-thousand signatures to force a recall election. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat…
cut 6 (08) “…governor”
The Vidrines have not said why they are seeking to recall Edwards.

Much of southwest Louisiana is without power and that means chemical plants in that region are sitting idle. Plus workers at those plants have been scattered from Houston to New Orleans. Louisiana Chemical Association President Greg Bowser says some workers are looking at long commutes once plants are online, but that’s not feasible so they’re asking FEMA to supply temporary housing units….
Cut 9 (09) “…repaired.”

Disaster food stamps are expected to be available a week from Thursday. Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the disaster food stamps are for people who have lost power as a result of Laura, spoiling food in their refrigerator. Walters on why they wait a couple of weeks before the disaster food stamps are available…
cut 14 (12) “…..to buy it”

FEMA approves an additional ten Louisiana parishes for individual assistance following Hurricane Laura, bringing the total number of parishes eligible for aid to 16. The ten parishes added yesterday were Acadia, Ouachita, Vermilion, Rapides, Natchitoches, Sabine, Winn, Grant, Jackson and Lincoln. Individuals who sustained damage from Laura are urged to apply for FEMA assistance at FEMA-dot-gov.

Edwards says residents in these parishes are also eligible for disaster unemployment…
cut 11 (05) “….for state benefits’

Edwards is also advising residents affected by Laura to preregister for disaster food stamps. Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says disaster food stamps are for people who lost food as a result of the disaster and income restrictions are loosened…
cut 13 (09) “…should register”
And you can register at the department of children and family services website.

Southwest Louisiana’s prolific chemical industry is temporarily out of commission due to Hurricane Laura. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Cleco says it’s restored power to over 100-thousand of the 140-thousand customers affected by Hurricane Laura. The utility company still has over 16-thousand customers without power in Rapides Parish. Entergy is reporting 119-thousand outages. The Louisiana National Guard says they’ve cleared 14-hundred miles of roads which is helping to get the power back on.

A recall petition to remove Governor Edwards has been filed by two Eunice men. They have 180 days to collect just over 600,000 signatures to trigger a recall election. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says it’s a puzzling move considering the West Point grad is in his element right now.
Cut 4 (12)“…rating”
An exact reason on why a recall petition was filed is not known, but there are some who are frustrated with the coronavirus mitigation restrictions.

Severe hurricane damage to southwest Louisiana has halted chemical manufacturing there. Louisiana Chemical Association President Greg Bowser says they were spared the anticipated 15 feet of storm surge, but the category four winds did a number on their facilities.
Cut 7 (08) “…wind”

Ten parishes were added to the list of parishes approved by FEMA on Tuesday for assistance that helps fund post-storm home repairs and addresses other damages. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 3 (28) “…I’m Kevin Barnhart”

The ten additional parishes now eligible for Individual Assistance are Acadia, Ouachita, Vermilion, Rapides, Natchitoches, Sabine, Winn, Grant, Jackson and Lincoln. A total of 16 parishes have been approved for disaster aid. Edwards says over 71-thousand Louisianans have applied for FEMA individual assistance.

Attorney General Jeff Landry sends a letter to Louisiana High School Athletic Association director Eddie Bonine to say it is time to turn on the Friday night lights and play high school football.  Landry says any concerns about legal liability can be worked around in a creative manner to protect the schools and the students that are playing ball.

Cut 7 (11) “…way out of.”

High school sports isn’t feasible until Phase Three.

Louisiana moves out of the federal red zone for COVID case growth and into the yellow zone as we now have fewer than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last seven days and below ten percent positivity. While that number is an average for the entire state, Governor Edwards says there are still some problem areas, mostly the state’s most populous parishes…

Cut 10 (12) “…ten.”

The fuel situation in hurricane-ravaged Vernon Parish is getting tight with power out across the parish. Long lines are common at fueling stations that are operational. Vernon Sheriff Sam Craft says it’s led to arguments between desperate customers…

Cut 14 (10) “encounters” 

Craft says despite those pressures people are staying non-violent.

Hurricane Laura was a destructive storm, but the damage to crops is not as severe as feared. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says the lack of electricity in many areas is an issue. He says they are trying to get rice dryers turned back on and poultry houses cool

Cut 4 (11)“ …poultry alive” 

A poultry fuel hotline has been established to assist farmers by putting them in direct contact with a fuel distributor. That number is area code (225) 952-8158.

Attorney General Jeff Landry sends a letter to Louisiana High School Athletic Association director Eddie Bonine to say it is time to turn on the Friday night lights and play high school football.  Landry says the people need high school football…

Cut 6 (09) “…that we can’t.”

High school sports isn’t feasible until Phase Three. The latest extension of Phase Two restrictions has kept state high school football players from suiting up for full padded practices.

Governor Edwards announces the state is now in the “yellow” zone for COVID case growth after weeks of being in the “red” zone according to the feds. Despite this good news, Edwards says the combination of hurricane evacuations and school reopenings could reverse our progress. Even worse…

Cut 11 (10) “…than ever”

The fuel situation in hurricane-ravaged Vernon Parish is getting tight. Vernon Sheriff Sam Craft says power is out across the parish.At the fueling stations that are operational residents are seeing very long lines and shortages.

Cut 13 (12) “…locations”

Craft says despite those pressures people are staying non-violent.

Hurricane Laura was a destructive storm, but the damage to crops is not as severe as feared. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says about 27-percent of the rice crop was not harvested, but most of the sugarcane is salvageable

Cut 3 (08)  “…harvest begins”  

Strain says about 45-percent of the cotton crop was in the boll stage, which makes it susceptible to strong winds and rain. A total damage estimate will take a couple of weeks.

After weeks as one of the nation’s leading COVID hotspots, Louisiana is now officially off the feds list of red zone states. Governor Edwards says we’ve entered the yellow zone, which means as a whole the state is now below 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last seven days and below ten percent positivity. He warns that could change is we start slacking…

Cut 9 (12) “…activity”

Attorney General Jeff Landry implores the LHSAA in a letter to allow students to begin playing high school football. Landry says participation in high school football is voluntary, with players and spectators aware of the virus risk, adding his office is ready to meet with LHSAA officials to hammer out any legal concerns.

Cut 8 (06) “…in their court.”

The LHSAA says the sport just isn’t feasible until Phase Three.

It appears that crop damage from Hurricane Laura is less than was once feared when it comes to the harvest, but Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says a significant number of agricultural equipment and facilities took a big hit.

Cut 5 (05)  “…live stock facilities.”

The fuel situation in hurricane-ravaged Vernon Parish is tight. Sheriff Sam Craft says power is out across the parish and many residents are driving to Alexandria for fuel and supplies.

Cut 12 (07) “…milk”

Craft says there are only about five fuel facilities open to civilians in the parish.

Acadia, Ouachita, and Vermillion Parishes have been added to the list of parishes eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance. 14 other parishes are awaiting federal approval that helps fund post-storm home repairs and addresses other damages.

Attorney General Jeff Landry sends a letter to LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine urging the association to allow the football season to begin. 

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”  

Three more parishes are approved for FEMA Individual Assistance. Acadia, Ouachita, and Vermillion join Cameron, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Beauregard, Allen, Vernon Parishes in the program with an additional 14 parishes still pending federal approval. Those who suffered damage due to Hurricane Laura may be eligible for assistance.

Louisiana moves out of the federal red zone for COVID case growth and into the yellow zone as we now have fewer than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last seven days and below ten percent positivity. While that number is an average for the entire state, Governor Edwards says there are still some problem areas, mostly the state’s most populous parishes…

Cut 10 (12) “…ten.”

The White House report says East Baton Rouge, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes have the highest number of new cases over the last three weeks.

Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft reports the parish only has about five functioning fueling stations for civilian vehicles, and power is still out to the entire parish. Craft says long lines can be seen far down the street at these locations, and it’s led to arguments between desperate customers…

Cut 14 (10) “encounters”