August of 2016 is certainly one for the record books, going down as the wettest August recorded in the state of Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says data shows the state averaged 12 and a half inches for the month, crushing the previous record of 9.71 inches back in August of 1940. However, he says this August was only the ninth wettest month ever when looking at all the months of the year…:
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Keim says August 2016 was the wettest month ever in Baton Rouge, recording a little over 30 inches in the Capital City.

100,000 insured vehicles were flooded in Louisiana following the August downpours and historic flooding, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. They add that the number of uninsured vehicles that were flood damaged could be even more, since many owners choose to drop their policy’s comprehensive coverage as the vehicle ages.

As flood victims are working to repair their homes and get as much federal assistance as possible, volunteer attorneys are offering legal advice to those who are denied by FEMA. New Orleans attorney Graham Ryan says you can call 1-800-310-7029, or…:
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Ryan says some of the denials can easily be reversed.

St. Amant High School lost everything during the floods, including their band equipment. The St. Amant Gators got a surprise this week when the Northwestern State band loaned them nine snare drums, four sets of tenor drums, and five bass drums. Northwestern Director of Bands Dr. Jeff Mathews says they wanted to help others during this difficult time…:
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Craig Millet is the St. Amant Director of Bands and says they can’t put into words how much this gesture means.

FEMA admits they are running into hurdles in trying to get manufactured homes set up on a person’s flooded property. FEMA coordinator officer Gerard Stolar says it’s not like the old FEMA trailers, when the housing unit would fit comfortably on a yard….
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Stolar says ideally it takes five to seven days to set up these homes, but so far only one has been put in place.

Today is the funeral for St. John District Fire Chief Spencer Chauvin. He was one of two people killed when a bus, driven by an illegal immigrant, slammed in Chauvin’s fire truck and other vehicles that were involved in an earlier accident on Interstate 10 near LaPlace.

Alligator season opens in the eastern part of the state, but those in the industry say prices are way down as hides and alligator meat is not in high demand.

The Northwestern State Band has loaned some of their drums to St. Amant High School, who lost their instruments in the flood. N-S-U Band Director Jeff Matthews says they wanted to do something for those impacted by these devastating floods…
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About 12-hundred Tiger Fans leave for Green Bay today for Saturday’s season opener against Wisconsin. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 2 (27) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

The Senate Homeland Security Committee is meeting at this hour with state and federal officials regarding FEMA’s response to flood victims. Chairman and Baton Rouge Senator Bodi White says many residents have been getting conflicting information from agents so he has some advice in that regard…:
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White says he’s invited mayors from the flooded areas to see what their plans are for building permits.

Meanwhile the feds are encountering various road blocks when it comes to getting the FEMA manufactured housing units to residents. The post-Katrina FEMA trailers were heavily criticized, but Shreveport Representative Cedric Glover says these bigger units are not feasible either…:
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Only one FEMA mobile home has been installed on a flood victim’s property.

Today is the funeral for St. John District Chief Spencer Chauvin. Police say an illegal immigrant crashed a bus into Chauvin’s fire truck, several other vehicles and then into Chauvin and two other firefighters. It threw them off the I-10 Three Mile Bridge and into the water below. Chauvin died a short time later. Another person died in the incident.

Governor John Bel Edwards is in Acadiana today where he is slated to speak at an event, then tour a neighborhood in Lafayette that experienced significant damage from the historic flooding event.

The LSU Alumni Association’s “Traveling Tigers” say, in 33 years of hitting up away games, the trip they are making today to Green Bay is the largest they have ever done. Rhett Butler with the Alumni Association says most of the fans making the trip for the LSU/Wisconsin game have always wanted to see a game in Lambeau Field…:
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LSU officials are projecting around 30,000 Tiger fans will attend the game.

FEMA is encountering a lot of problems trying to get manufactured homes set up for flood victims. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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Hermine is forecast to become a hurricane before hitting Florida tonight. The National Hurricane Center says it should happen shortly after midnight tonight, but the impacts will be felt much sooner. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Suwanne River to Mexico Beach Florida. Hurricane Watches are also posted in surrounding regions.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee will once again hear from disaster response agencies in the hopes of getting some answers for flood victims. Chairman and Baton Rouge Senator Bodi White says the Commissioner of Insurance is also expected to attend to answer questions about flood insurance for these homes in the future…:
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He says they still don’t know whether or not houses that received damage worth more than half the value will have to be elevated before they are rebuilt.

The Northwestern State band donated equipment to the St. Amant High program — as the Ascension Parish school lost everything. Northwestern Director of Bands Dr. Jeff Mathews says they are pleased to have the opportunity to help another marching band…:
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Craig Millet is the St. Amant Director of Bands and says they can’t put into words how much this gesture means.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee is set to get some answers from the agencies involved in the flood recovery today. Halen Doughty has more…:
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An unrestrained teenager from New Roads died in a two-vehicle crash when State Police say the car she was traveling in was hit as the driver failed to stop at a red light. Investigators say 23-year-old Kelsey Moore, who also had five juvenile passengers in the rear seat aged 1-6, faces many charges including Negligent Homicide. Her front seat passenger, 16-year-old Shafteanna Williams died at the scene.

The FEMA manufactured homes are not being set up the way folks anticipated. So far, only one of the temporary housing units has been provided to a flood victim. FEMA Coordinating Officer Gerard Stolar says there is a lot of red tape when it comes to setting up on private property, and it would be quicker to put a bunch of units on a large piece of land..:
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The post-Katrina FEMA trailers were highly criticized, but some lawmakers say these larger manufactured homes are not practical either.

About 12-hundred purple and gold fans are headed to Lambeau Field this morning with the LSU Alumni Association to watch LSU take on the Wisconsin Badgers for the 2016 season opener. Spokesman for the group, Rhett Butler:
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The game kicks off at 2:30.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee will once again hear from disaster response agencies in the hopes of getting some answers for flood victims. Chairman and Baton Rouge Senator Bodi White says they still don’t know whether or not homeowners whose houses received damage worth more than half the value of their home will have to elevate their house before they rebuild…:
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He suggests homeowners write down everything a FEMA agent tells you and date it.

So what about those hard to get FEMA manufactured homes? FEMA Coordinating Officer Gerard Stolar told legislators a lot goes into setting up this temporary housing…:
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Only one FEMA mobile home has been installed on a flood victim’s property.

In the Florida panhandle, a Hurricane Warning is in effect for some areas, and watches and Tropical Storm Warnings in other areas as Tropical Hermine approaches. The National Hurricane Center says on the forecast track, the center of Hermine will be near the Florida coast in the warning area tonight or early tomorrow.

St. Amant High School lost everything during the floods, including their band equipment. The St. Amant Gators got a surprise this week when the Northwestern State band loaned them nine snare drums, four sets of tenor drums, and five bass drums. Northwestern Director of Bands Dr. Jeff Mathews says they wanted to help others during this difficult time…:
Cut 10 (10) “these drums”
Craig Millet is the St. Amant Director of Bands and says they can’t put into words how much this gesture means.

Today in the House Homeland Security Committee meeting, lawmakers grilled a FEMA administrator on why it’s taking so long to get flood victims assistance. FEMA Coordinating Officer Gerard Stolar says 111-thousand home inspections have been ordered but only 56-thousand have been conducted.
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Stolar says there are 23-hundred FEMA personnel working on this disaster.

Today, State Treasurer John Kennedy told lawmakers the one-cent increase in the state sales tax should be suspended for flood victims, even if it means calling a special session, which upset New Orleans Senator JP Morell. Kennedy says Morrell is entitled to his opinion.

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Morrell says the tax code doesn’t allow them to suspend taxes on the fly.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has donated over 1.6 million dollars in flood relief and plans to give even more. Michelle Southern has the story…

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Louisiana federal prosecutors have indicted six officials with Explo Systems Incorporated for leaving 78-hundred tons of explosives at a Louisiana National Guard Facility. The indictment alleges the officials lied to get a contract to demilitarize the explosives then improperly stored them at Camp Minden, and all six are charges with criminal conspiracy.

FEMA came under fire from state lawmakers today for not getting assistance to flood victims quickly. But FEMA Coordinating Officer Gerard Stolar says there are 23-hundred FEMA personnel working on this disaster.

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Stolar says 131-thousand people have registered for federal aid, and $315 million has been approved for FEMA.

State Treasurer John Kennedy told lawmakers they should suspend the one cent increase on the state sales tax for flood victims. But New Orleans Senator JP Morrell says this is not something that Kennedy should be proposing, because it’s not feasible.

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Kennedy says the increase in the sales tax should be revisited, even if it means calling a special session.

A former employee at an assisted living facility has been arrested for rape. Mandeville Police Officer Becky White says 58-year-old Jerry Kan worked as cook at Beau Provence Memory Care. She says he was booked after authorities received a call about inappropriate behavior between Kan and a 78-year-old resident.

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White says Kan has worked at Beau Provence since April of this year.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has given over 1.6 million dollars to help flood victims. BRAF Communications Director Mukul Verma says they’ve given dozens of grants to local nonprofits working in the field of flood relief. He says a lot of the money is donated from people around the country through online platforms.

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Verma says companies around the region have donated about a million dollars to BRAF.

State lawmakers say FEMA is moving too slow when it comes to setting up manufactured homes for flood victims. The government agency says only one unit has been installed and Gonzales Representative Clay Schexnayder says that’s not getting the job done…
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FEMA regional director Gerard Stoler says the mobile homes are not easy to install and couldn’t say when more will be in place.

A cook at an assistant living center in Mandeville has been charged with one count of rape and his alleged victim is a 78-year-old resident at Beau Provence Memory care. Mandeville Police Officer Becky White says the incident occurred last week in the victim’s room and 58-year-old Jerry Kan resigned two days later…
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Kan was hired by Beau Provence earlier this year.

State Treasurer John Kennedy is urging lawmakers to consider suspending the one cent sales tax increase for flood victims, when they purchase items to rebuild their homes. Kennedy says the state should not reap a financial windfall from people’s tragedy…:
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Lawmakers added an extra penny to the state sales tax earlier this year. New Orleans Senator JP Morrell says Kennedy’s proposal would be very difficult to implement.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation announces they’ve distributed one-point-six million dollars in flood relief grants. A third of the money handed has gone towards helping schools and students who lost classroom supplies. BRAF spokesperson Mukul Verma says they are raising about 20-thousand dollars a day in online donations…
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A frustrated Ascension parish lawmaker wants to know why it’s taking so long to get temporary housing for flood victims. FEMA Coordinating Officer Gerard Stolar says 2-thousand flood survivors are still in hotels, and more than 15-hundred are in shelters. Gonzales Representative Clay Schexnayder says FEMA is not moving fast enough…

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The Baton Rouge Area foundation is raising money for flood victims. Director of Communications Mukul Verma says companies around the region have donated about a million dollars to BRAF. He says 600-thousand dollars have been distributed to schools and education organizations to assist with new classroom supplies and restoring water logged schools.

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State Treasurer John Kennedy told lawmakers today the one-cent increase in the state sales tax should be suspended for flood victims, even if it means calling a special session, and the comment upset New Orleans Senator JP Morell. Kennedy says Morrell is entitled to his opinion.

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Morrell says Kennedy has been in government for years, and he should know that the state’s tax code just doesn’t allow lawmakers to immediately suspend a tax for certain people.

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Tropical Storm Hermine has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to pick up speed and intensity as it moves towards the Florida coastline. At this point, forecasters do not expect any impact on Louisiana.