State agencies are severely understaffed at a time when people need them the most. West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth says during tough budget times, there were employment cutbacks at the Department of Children and Family Services and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, because Louisiana hasn’t seen a hurricane in several years…:
cut 4 (09) “an emergency”

He says they may need to look into training state retirees in case of emergencies.

US Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and the administrator from the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet say the federal government is committed to the flood recovery in Louisiana. Contreras-Sweet reminds flood victims they can apply for low interest loans to repair their damaged home or business..:
Cut 10 (08) “more manageable”

Some people have suggested that if the Comite River Diversion Project in East Baton Rouge Parish had been completed, the flooding wouldn’t have been so severe. But the Army Corps of Engineers says that’s not the case. Deputy District Commander Mark Wingate says the project would only have helped a small part of the affected region…:
Cut 13 (09) “in place”
Wingate says the project would have helped on the Comite River, but not the Amite or other rivers in the basin that also flooded.

After the agriculture businesses took a $110 million hit from the flood, crawfish farmers will have to wait to see how much their harvest was affected. LSU AgCenter aquaculture specialist, Mark Shirley, says some fields that were only flooded for a day or two should be alright. But he says fields that had more water could see some losses.

CUT 7 (10)  “the field”

FEMA housing units are returning to Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Two Arkansas men have been arrested after posting a video on SnapChat that shows them slitting a pit bull’s throat. They heinous crime was committed in Bastrop. Boots Stanley and Steven Sadler of Ashley County, Arkansas, have been booked into the Morehouse parish jail on charges of aggravated cruelty to an animal and conspiracy.

Deputy Director for Disaster Recovery with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, Mark Riley, says they are trying to get people out of their cars and shelters as quickly as possible. He says there are already some manufactured homes in the state after the March flood in north Louisiana, but it will be a while before they get these flood victims moved into them.

cut 10 (10)  “to do”

Triple-A is warning motorists purchasing used cars to beware of flood damaged vehicles for sale. Spokesperson Don Redman advises people to use their sense of smell to detect any wet or musty odors inside the car. He also says to check for new carpeting and signs of dirt or mud.

CUT 7 (10) “the inside”

Redman says be careful when buying a car off of Craigslist or resale sites.

Over 120-thousand people registered for disaster assistance and federal and state agencies are having trouble keeping up with the demand. Halen Doughty has more…
CUT 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Governor John Bel Edwards was in southwest Louisiana today. Edwards told flood victims in Youngsville that they’ll seek assistance from Congress to help homeowners who did not have flood insurance. In Lake Arthur, the governor learned about the man-made levee built to protect the town from the rising Mermentau River.

Just like after Hurricane Katrina and Rita, expect to see FEMA homes scattered across south Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards says FEMA is checking to see if the units can fit on the property of a flooded home and there’s plans to put multiple trailers on commercial lots…
cut 5 (10) “…transportation”
Edwards says these mobile homes from FEMA are much better than the FEMA trailers after Katrina.

Forecasters say Invest 99 is poorly organized as it moves towards the Bahamas and south Florida. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the disturbance still has a chance to get its act together and possibly get into the Gulf of Mexico…
cut 14 (07) “…our problem”
Keim says it’s definitely a tropical wave we should keep an eye on.

Forecasters are watching a broad area of low pressure near the Bahamas that continues to track northeast towards Florida. State Climatolgist Barry Keim says conditions with this system are expected to become more favorable by the weekend…
cut 12 (08) “…hurricane center”
But A hurricane hunter aircraft found the system is weaker than it was yesterday.

The state department of children and family services announced today disaster food stamp locations for Ascension, Acadia, East Baton Rouge and Lafayette. These locations will open next week, but Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow is frustrated the state couldn’t get these sites open sooner…
cut 11 (08) “…to eat”
DCFS blames a lack of manpower.

A FEMA spokesperson has told the Louisiana Radio Network the first shipment of manufactured homes for displaced residents have arrived in Baton Rouge and will be set up soon. Governor John Bel Edwards says flood victims who suffered over 17-thousand dollars in damages to their homes are eligible for a trailer…
cut 4 (06) “…secure”
Edwards says they are still trying to figure out how many manufactured homes they’ll need.

Triple-A warns those shopping for a used car, make sure it was not damaged in the Great Flood of 2016. Spokesperson Don Redman says the potential damage from a flooded vehicle may not be obvious at first, but….
cut 8 (11) “….short circuiting”
Redman says always get a Carfax report or some kind of vehicle history, before purchasing a vehicle.

FEMA owned temporary housing units are returning to Louisiana for flood victims who are in the process of rebuilding their homes. Governor John Bel Edwards says these trailer units are different from what we saw after Hurricane Katrina…:
CUT 3 (10) “up better”
Edwards says the FEMA housing units are available for those who do not live in a flood plain and if the yard is big enough, they’ll be set on a flood victim’s personal property.

A Hurricane Hunter aircraft has found that Invest 99, which is the tropical wave, north of the Greater Antilles remains unorganized. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the disturbance still has a chance to develop into a storm, but it’s too early to speculate on the specific impacts…
cut 13 (11) “…this thing”

Governor John Bel Edwards visited Youngsville in Lafayette Parish today and he also spent some time in the Jefferson Davis Parish town of Lake Arthur. Edwards told flood victims in Youngsville that they’ll seek assistance from Congress to help homeowners who did not have flood insurance. In Lake Arthur, the governor learned about the man-made levee that was built to protect the town from the rising Mermentau River.

Triple-A warns motorists looking to purchase a used car to beware of flood damaged vehicles for sale. Spokesperson Don Redman says usually damaged cars are quickly moved further away from the devastated areas as early as one week after the disaster. He says be careful when buying a car off of Craigslist or resale sites…:
CUT 6 (10) “of lots”
Redman recommends getting a Carfax report to learn about the vehicle’s history.

More than 120-thousand people registered for disaster assistance and federal and state agencies are having trouble keeping up with the demand. Halen Doughty has more…
voicer 2 (30) “…I’m Halen Doughty”

AAA says if you are in the market to purchase a used car, make sure it wasn’t flooded in the Great Flood of 2016. Spokesperson Don Redman says check for new carpeting and signs for dirt or mud…
cut 7 (10) “…fogged up”

Just like after Hurricane Katrina and Rita, expect to see FEMA homes scattered across south Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards says he’s seen where FEMA has checked to see if the units can fit on the property of a flooded home and there’s plans to put multiple trailers on a commercial lot…
cut 5 (10) “…transportation”
Edwards says these mobile homes from FEMA are much better than the FEMA trailers after Katrina.

Forecasters say Invest 99 is poorly organized as it moves towards the Bahamas and south Florida. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the disturbance still has a chance to get better orangized and possibly make its way into the Gulf of Mexico…
cut 14 (07) “…our problem”
Keim says it’s definitely a tropical wave we should keep an eye on.

FEMA housing units are returning to Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story:
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness updated state leaders on the latest numbers on the flooding response today. They say nearly 85,000 homes were damaged in the disaster, about 2,700 remain in shelters where it was about 11,000 at the max. GOHSEP added that state agencies made more than 15,000 rescues, and an additional 13,000 people were rescued by the parish or private citizens.

Triple-A is warning motorists looking to purchase a used car to beware of flood damaged vehicles for sale. Spokesperson Don Redman says usually damaged cars are quickly moved farther away from the devastated areas as early as one week after the disaster. He says be careful when buying a car off of Craigslist or resale sites…:
CUT 6 (10) “of lots”
Redman says recommends getting a Carfax report to learn about the vehicle’s history.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission announced today extended call-center office hours to accept disaster unemployment assistance claims. LWC staff members will answer calls made to 1-866-783-5567 and assist individuals file for DUA from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. until further notice.

FEMA owned temporary housing units are returning to Louisiana for flood victims who are in the process of rebuilding their homes. Governor John Bel Edwards says these trailer units are different from what we saw after Hurricane Katrina…:
CUT 3 (10) “up better”
He sys flood victims who suffered over 17-thousand dollars in damages to their homes are eligible for a trailer. And also renters who lost everything.

The tropical wave moving west over the Leeward Islands and about 100 miles north of Puerto Rico continues to lack a well-defined center, according to the National Hurricane Center. They say the system could still become a tropical cyclone during the next couple of days, but without a defined center of circulation forecasting the storm’s path is difficult. It’s still too far away to determine exactly what this system will do.

State leaders are at the Capitol today to discuss storm recovery. State Sen. Bodi White of Central says they hope to shed more light on what worked and didn’t work during this disaster. He says the more information they can push out to the public, the better…:
Cut 9 (10) “local information”
He says the public will be able to make comments at next week’s meeting.

The historic floods in north Louisiana in Monroe, and the ongoing situation in South Louisiana hit five months apart, but are very different events.
Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 2 (25) “I’m Halen Doughty”

Governor John Bel Edwards says they will begin offering HUD-approved housing to flood victims beginning Monday. People will be able to stay in the manufactured housing units for up to 18 months. Edwards also introduced a program allowing people to get into their homes quicker. He says the Shelter At Home Program seeks to get people back into their own homes quickly…:
cut 14 (07) “and habitable”
Homeowners can only qualify if their home can become habitable with $15,000 or less in repairs.

A disturbance in the Atlantic Ocean still has not developed into a tropical depression or storm. The National Hurricane Center says there is a 50% chance this system near Puerto Rico will develop into at least a depression by Saturday and an 80% chance of development by next Tuesday. Where it may go from there is not clear. Computer models are still widely varying on the eventual path, but the majority show it heading for Florida.

Just five months after seeing residents of north Louisiana deal with a historic flood, south Louisianans are going through the same thing, but in very different ways. Halen Doughty has more…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

The governor is touring Acadiana today and one of the stops will be in Youngsville. Mayor Ken Ritter says the flood devastated the Lafayette Parish town and they’re hoping for more federal assistance…:
Cut 6 (09) “their feet”

Governor John Bel Edwards has announced the state’s plan for getting flood victims out of shelters as quickly as possible. Jeff Palermo has more…:

Cut 3 (29) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

The governor is touring Acadiana today and one of the stops will be in Youngsville. Mayor Ken Ritter says the flood devastated the Lafayette Parish town, but they were able to quickly move into recovery…:
CUT 4 (07) “hardest hit areas”

State leaders will gather at the State Capitol today to discuss storm recovery. State Sen. Bodi White of Central says this hearing will hopefully shed light on what worked and didn’t work during this disaster. He says the more information they can push out to the public, the better…:
Cut 9 (10) “local information”
He says anyone can attend but they will not be taking public comment today.

Louisiana has seen two very different historic floods just five months apart — one on the top half and one on the bottom. Rev. Allison Sauls was living in flooded areas during both disasters and says it’s been incredible to see folks who are still recovering up north coming to help people in south Louisiana where she lives now…:
cut 11 (07) “months ago”
She says the flooding in the south was more widespread than it was up north.