The water situation in Lake Charles is dire with three of the city’s six plants non-operational and the other three on minimal capacity. That’s led to an evacuation of Memorial Hospital patients, and a warning to residents who insist on staying in the devastated city from the Mayor that if you can leave, you should. Despite that Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter sounded optimistic…

Cut 9 (10) “…better”

A family of five is dead in Lake Charles reportedly from carbon monoxide poisoning linked to their generator.

In-person classes in Lake Charles won’t be available for weeks at McNeese State. spokesperson Candace Townsend says the school’s new health and human performance complex is seriously damaged….

Cut 3 (06)  “…water intrusion there.”  

About 102,000 SWEPCO customers are still without power following Hurricane Laura, down from the peak outage of 136,000.  SWEPCO spokesperson Carey Sullivan estimates most customers in the Shreveport-Bossier area should have power restored by 10 PM Wednesday and Cenla customers by 10 PM Thursday.

Cut 13 (11) “…to address immediately.”

Sullivan says over 3,000 workers have come to Louisiana from 14 states and Canada to help in the restoration efforts.

The full scope of damage in north and central Louisiana is becoming more clear. In Rapides Parish Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau says the lack of water and electricity are major issues.

Cut 11 (14) “…back up.”

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter tells Lake Charles residents that they need to understand it will be weeks before the area returns to any sense of normalcy. Hunter says power and water are out, and there’s very little in the way of vital services.

Cut 8 (10) “right now”

Because of the lack of Water Memorial Hospital in Lake Charles is evacuating patients.

On campus classes at McNeese State University in Lake Charles will not be available for weeks. McNeese spokesperson Candace Townsend says rooves have been peeled back and the school had a newly installed scoreboard at the football stadium that was torn up, but they’re committed to finishing the fall semester.

Cut 5 (10)  “…to do so.”

Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson reportedly has COVID-19.

Governor John Bel Edwards is surveying the damage in central and north Louisiana today. Jackson Parish Sheriff Andy Brown says he’s never seen a storm impact the entire parish like this one

Cut 10 (09) “…without water.”

200,000 people statewide are believed to be without water right now after Hurricane Laura knocks off 67 water systems throughout Louisiana.  Chief Engineer at the Department of Health Amanda Ames says that is a tremendous amount of systems that can’t produce water right now because of loss of electrical power.

Cut 16 (08) “…a boil advisory..” 

Ames says depending on how long water service may be out, bottled water may be delivered to an area.

About 102,000 SWEPCO customers are still without power following Hurricane Laura, down from the peak outage of 136,000. 

Lake Charles is devastated and Mayor Nic Hunter warns it could be weeks before some semblance of normality returns. Gator 99.5 Lake Charles radio host Buddy Russ is there. He says at this point he’d rather have the catastrophic flood damage from Rita over what they’re seeing now.
Cut 6 (07) “the ground”
Russ says Laura has changed the face of Lake Charles.

The McNeese University campus in Lake Charles is expected to be closed for several weeks to fix up damage. Streets are still needing to be cleared to get a better idea of the severity. McNeese spokesperson Candace Townsend says the school has a newly installed scoreboard at the football stadium that was torn up.

Cut 4 (11)“ …us an assessment.” 

Governor Edwards is expected to fly over storm damage this afternoon in Central and North Louisiana. Ruston Mayor Ronnie Walker says they’ve suffered a worse blow than they did during last year’s tornado.

Cut 14 (08) “town”

In Ruston, winds were clocked at over 70 miles per hour.
A heat advisory is in effect today La Salle Parish north into Arkansas and West into Texas, and many won’t have AC. SWEPCO estimates most customers in the Shreveport-Bossier area should have power restored by 10 PM Wednesday and Central Louisiana customers by 10 PM Thursday.
Hurricane Laura knocks off 67 water systems throughout Louisiana.  Chief Engineer at the Department of Health Amanda Ames says that is a tremendous amount of systems that can’t produce water right now because of loss of electrical power.

Cut 16 (08) “…a boil advisory..” 

Governor Edwards and members of his cabinet will conduct a flyover of central and north Louisiana today to survey the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Laura. In Rapides Parish, chief of Staff Tommy Carnline says they had no idea they’d be hit so hard so far inland…
cut 12 (12) “…the top”
A curfew is in place for Rapides Parish from 9 PM to 6AM.

Lake Charles took the brunt of what Hurricane Laura had to offer. There’s damage throughout the city and on the McNeese State University campus. Spokesperson Candace Townsend says their new health and human performance complex along with many other buildings suffered wind damage…
cut 3 (06) “…water intrusion there”

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

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…
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.

In a Facebook Post, Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter tells residents that if you plan on coming to Lake Charles, the best option is to look and leave, as water and power are not available and there’s no timetable on restoration. Governor Edwards says there are 21-hundred people sheltered by the state, most of them in hotels and motels paid for by FEMA…
cut 5 (09) “…the space”
Entergy Louisiana says they have 62-hundred workers trying to restore power. Vice President of Customer Service Melonie Stewart says some customers could be without power for weeks and restoration has to be prioritized to benefit the health and safety of communities…
cut 11 (09) “….to energize first”
Entergy reports nearly 240-thousand of its customers are without power.

Governor Edwards is expected to tour storm damage in Alexandria and Ruston this afternoon. Ruston Mayor Ronnie Walker says 95-percent of the city lost power, compared to the 70-percent that lost power when an EF-3 tornado did damage to Ruston in April of 2019…
cut 15 (09) “….out”
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”

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. The victim was on a sinking ship.

The videos and pictures of damage from Hurricane Laura in southwest Louisiana are heartbreaking and the recovery will be lengthy. Many people are returning to Calcasieu Parish to find their homes no longer habitable. Those needing shelter are encouraged to text LA Shelter to 898-211. Governor Edwards says Disaster food stamp assistance is not yet available but encourages residents in impacted areas to pre-register.
Cut 6 (11) “…eligible”
The governor’s office says there are 530-thousand customers without power. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says there’s widespread damage with broken utility poles. down wires and structural damage…
cut 9 (05) “…start making repairs”

The damage from Hurricane Laura is not just confined to southwest Louisiana. Central and North Louisiana also took a big hit. Matt Doyle has more…
cut 3 (31) “…I”m Matt Doyle”

State Police is investigating the death of an individual who was in the custody of the Monroe Police Department. Authorities say the individual caused a serious two-vehicle crash on Wednesday night and attempted to leave the scene after officers arrived. Monroe Police subdued the individual and the person was taken to a hospital and later passed away. No other details have been provided.

Louisiana is recovering from the effects of Hurricane Laura, having to dislodge a riverboat casino from the I-10 Bridge in Lake Charles and house nearly 2,000 evacuees in hotels. Matt Doyle has the story.
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Matt Doyle”

The state health department reports 67 Hurricane Laura related water system outages, which is impacting over 220-thousand residents. L-D-H Chief Engineer Amanda Ames…
cut 17 (11) “…people without any water”

Hundreds of thousands of people spent last night without any power. Cleco spokesperson Jennifer Cahill says they are receiving additional manpower to restore service to their customers.
Cut 8 (12) “…425 line mechanics.”
Cleco reports about 100-thousand of their customers are without power. Entergy has 240-thousand customers in the dark and SWEPCO is reporting about 128-thousand outages.

Hurricane Laura cut a path of destruction from Lake Charles through north Louisiana. In Rapides Parish, the Sheriff’s Chief of Staff Tommy Carnline says they had no idea they’d be hit so hard so far inland….
cut 12 (12) “…the top”
A curfew is in place for Rapides Parish from 9 PM to 6AM.

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.