If you had uninsured property that was destroyed by floodwaters this year, you’re entitled to a refund of the state sales tax on those items. State Treasurer John Kennedy says this applies to the parishes that were federally declared disasters areas.
Cut 12 (12) “property”
To learn more, visit latreasury.com.

A warehouse on Celtic Media Studios property in Baton Rouge is now a multi-agency disaster warehouse. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says they really need snow shovels, which are good for removing debris, but they are accepting a wide variety of items…:
Cut 4 (07) “a baby”
Steele says people can find a complete list of needed items at emergency.la.gov.

The historic flooding in south Louisiana not only destroyed thousands of homes but greatly affected the agriculture business. Ag Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain says farming is a 13 billion dollar industry in Louisiana and 28 to 30 parishes were hurt by the flood.
Cut 9 (10) “soybeans”
He says some farmers have crop insurance but not all commodities or parishes allow insurance.

Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies are now in the southern part of the state to assist officers after the historic flooding. Lt. Dave Faulk says they’ve been helping throughout the disaster by bringing in amphibious vehicles and boats.
Cut 6 (10) “lost everything”
He says they are also going to help in areas where there have been reports of looting.

Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge has been transformed from a shelter for flood victims into a multi-agency disaster warehouse. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness says people should call ahead if they are making large donations to make sure that someone is there to help unload.

CUT 3 (07)  “with them”

Steele says people can call 225-800-2227 to arrange a drop off.

Flood victims can get a refund on the state sales tax when replacing property they lost in the flood. State Treasurer John Kennedy says it may not seem like much, but every little bit helps and the money will really add up…:

Cut 13 (09)  “a lawnmower”

To learn more, visit latreasury.com and click on Sales Tax Disaster Relief.

The agriculture industry took a big hit in the Great Flood of 2016. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says he expects total losses to be anywhere from $150 to $200 million, if the rain stops now. He says some farmers have crop insurance, but not all commodities or parishes allow insurance.

cut 10 (08)  “coverage”

Strain says livestock and crawfish are not covered under crop insurance.

Forecasters say it’s possible the tropical wave called Invest 99 could fall apart, but Alek Krautmann with the National Weather Service in Slidell says it’s worth keeping an eye on, especially if the cluster of thunderstorms stays together as it moves northwest…

cut 16 (11) “tropical storm “

If you had uninsured property destroyed by floodwaters this year, you’re entitled to a refund of the state sales tax on those items. Michelle Southern reports…:

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Michelle Southern”

An off-duty New Orleans Police officer has died after he was hit by a car and thrown off a 40 foot overpass on the West Bank Expressway. 45-year-old Officer Tony Mitchell was a 19 year veteran with the department. The fatal crash occurred this morning around 7:30 am when the officer’s car stalled, and he got out of the vehicle. Mitchell leaves behind a wife and two young children.

The flooding has impacted the homes of deputies in East Baton Rouge and Livingston Parishes, with many patrol cars flooded out, and Bossier Parish Sheriff’s deputies are coming south to help. Lt. Dave Faulk with the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office says they are really hurting for manpower right now…

CUT 7 (08) “smoothly”

Faulk says the deputies will patrol areas where there has been looting.

Invest 99 remains poorly organized as it moves toward south Florida, but forecasters are concerned it could possibly develop into a named storm if it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. Alek Krautmann is with the National Weather Service in Slidell.

cut 15 (09) “of Mexico”

It’s possible the tropical wave could fall apart.

The massive flooding not only displaced thousands of families but ruined hundreds of millions of dollars worth of crops. Don Molino has more…:
CUT 1 (27) “I’m Don Molino”

Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies are now in the southern part of the state to assist officers after the historic flooding. Lt. Dave Faulk says the deputies will patrol areas where there has been looting..:
CUT 8 (06) “in place”

If you had uninsured property that was destroyed by floodwaters this year, you’re entitled to a refund of the state sales tax on those items. State Treasurer John Kennedy says it might not sound like much but people need everything they can get right now…:
CUT 14 (05) “bit helps”
To learn more, visit latreasury.com and click on Sales Tax Disaster Relief.

A warehouse near Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge is taking donations on behalf of several agencies. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says they need blankets, cleaning supplies, flashlights, batteries, and new kitchen items but right now they do not need any new or used clothes…:
CUT 5 (10) “what’s needed”
The address is 9550 Dawnadele Ave., Baton Rouge.

If you had uninsured property that was destroyed by floodwaters this year, you’re entitled to a refund of the state sales tax on those items. State Treasurer John Kennedy says this applies to the parishes that were federally declared disasters during the March and August floods…:
CUT 12 (12) “property”
To learn more, visit latreasury.com and click on Sales Tax Disaster Relief.

The historic flooding the southern part of the state not only destroyed thousands of homes but greatly affected the agriculture business in Louisiana. Ag Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain says farming is a 13 billion dollar industry in Louisiana and 28 to 30 parishes were hurt by the flood:
CUT 9 (10) “soybeans”
He says some farmers have crop insurance but not all commodities or parishes allow insurance.

A warehouse on Celtic Media Studios property in Baton Rouge is now a multi-agency disaster warehouse. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says they really need snow shovels, which are good for removing debris, but they are accepting a wide variety of items…:
CUT 4 (07) “a baby”
Steele says people can find a complete list of needed items at emergency.la.gov. The donation address is 9550 Dawnadele Ave., Baton Rouge.

The Saints third preseason game of the year is tonight as New Orleans host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It’ll be one heck of a show for Black and Gold fans who will get to see the dome’s brand new massive video boards that span 330 feet wide by 35 feet tall.

Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge was a shelter for displaced flood victims a week ago, and now it’s become a multi-agency disaster warehouse. Mike Steele with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says people making large donations should call ahead of time to make sure that someone is there to help unload…:
CUT 3 (07) “with them”
Steele says people can find a complete list of needed items at emergency.la.gov, as well as an address to ship donations.

Conditions are not looking favorable for the low pressure system in the Atlantic to develop in the near future. The National Hurricane Center says upper-level winds are not expected to be conducive for development during the next day or two. The broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave is located between the southeastern Bahamas and the northeastern coast of Cuba. There is still a 60% chance the system will develop as it gets closer to the United States.

Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies are now in the southern part of the state to assist officers after the historic flooding. Lt. Dave Faulk says they’ve been helping throughout the disaster by bringing in amphibious vehicles and boats….:
CUT 6 (10) “lost everything”
He says they are also going to help in areas where there have been reports of looting.

State Treasurer John Kennedy says Louisiana residents in presidential declared disaster areas impacted by the March and August floods can file for a refund of state sales tax they paid on personal property destroyed by the floods. He says the state will reimburse you for the state sales tax you paid on any portion of destroyed property not reimbursed by insurance or disaster relief.

The Army Corps of Engineers says the Comite River Diversion Project would not have reduced flooding as much as some may think. Deputy District Commander Mark Wingate says what they need is a system wide approach. He says flood mitigation projects are also needed along the Amite River and Bayou Manchac.

Cut 15 (09) “downstream”

Wingate says the Comite project would only have reduced damage for 5 to 10-percent of the affected structures.

The Department of Children and Family Services is having trouble getting disaster food stamps to flood victims in a timely manner because the state agency is understaffed. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says there were employment cutbacks during the budget crunch because Louisiana hasn’t seen a hurricane in several years.

Cut 4 (09) “an emergency”

Housing efforts are ongoing for displaced flood victims. US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro says he supports the temporary housing solutions offered by Governor John Bel Edwards. He says the federal government learned many lessons from Katrina, which has led to better produced manufactured homes for displaced residents…

cut 11 (07) “safety features”

Castro says the federal government is committed to the flood recovery in Louisiana.

The LSU AgCenter says crawfish farmers won’t know how much their harvest was impacted by the flood until later this year. Aquaculture specialist, Mark Shirley says farmers need to get the water out of their fields to keep predators away when the crawfish eggs start to hatch.

Cut 9 (08)  “comes from”

Female crawfish begin laying eggs in late August and continue through early December.

The FEMA manufactured homes have arrived in Baton Rouge, and they look nothing like what we saw after Hurricane Katrina. US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro says the federal government has learned many lessons since then, and these housing units for displaced residents are new and improved…:
cut 11 (07) “safety features”
The housing units are being offered to people with space on their own property or at pre-existing commercial parks.

The National Weather Service says there is a 60 percent chance that the disturbance known as “Invest 99L” will develop into a tropical storm over the next five days, but lower chance over the next two. They say the system is moving west-northwest toward the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It’s currently a disorganized storm, but conditions could become more conducive for development over the weekend or early next week.

Several state agencies are too understaffed to handle all of the needs of flood victims in South Louisiana. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says they may need to look into training state retirees in case of emergencies like this…:
CUT 5 (09) “of them”
He says Louisiana is the most disaster prone state in the nation, and we need to be prepared for these kinds of events.

The LSU AgCenter says crawfish farmers will have to wait until the harvest this winter to see how much the flood impacted them. Halen Doughty has more…:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Could the Comite River Diversion Project in East Baton Rouge Parish prevented the flooding if it had been completed? The Army Corps of Engineers says no. Deputy District Commander Mark Wingate says some water levels may have been reduced but not in Denham Springs and further south:
CUT 14 (10) “to inches”
Wingate says what they need is a system wide approach to prevent flooding in the region.

At a time when they are needed most, several state agencies are severely understaffed. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says, for example, DCFS is having trouble opening DSNAP locations because many of their employees are working in shelters…:
Cut 6 (09) “the evacuees”
He says they may need to look into training state retirees in case of emergencies.

The dean of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation does not believe that previous votes against a Hurricane Sandy relief package will prevent an aid package for Louisiana flood victims. Jeff Palermo has the story…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The FEMA manufactured housing units arrived in Baton Rouge Thursday afternoon. These temporary homes are for people who are eligible for FEMA help and unable to utilize rental assistance due to a lack of places to rent in the area. The government is also providing assistance to homeowners through the Shelter at Home program, where people may be able to get FEMA money to make immediate repairs to their home so it is livable.

FEMA says manufactured homes for flood victims have arrived in Baton Rouge and will be set up soon. US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro hopes people can take advantage of the shelter at home program, which gives a homeowner a chance to live in their residence as repairs to their home continue…:
cut 12 (06) “stay there”
He says the manufactured homes are HUD approved and many lessons on this type of temporary housing have been learned from Katrina.

The National Hurricane Center has released some key messages regarding the disturbance known as Invest 99L. They say the system is still disorganized as it extends from eastern Cuba to the central Bahamas, and upper-level winds are expected to remain unfavorable for significant development during the next couple of days. Residents along the coast are encouraged to keep an eye on the progress of this disturbance as it moves into the eastern Gulf of Mexico early next week.

The Army Corps of Engineers says the Comite River Diversion Project would not have reduced flooding in south Louisiana…:
Cut 3 (30) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

What could all this flooding mean for the crawfish harvest? LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, Mark Shirley, says the mudbugs could have been affected…:
CUT 8 (08) “in the water”
But he says it’s too early to tell if the disaster will impact next crawfish season.