16:30 LRN Newscast August 17th

Emergency workers discovered this afternoon a man’s body where massive flooding took place. It brings the flooding death toll to 12. The state fire marshal’s office says the body was found in Denham Springs.

Governor Edwards viewed flood damage in Livingston and Ascension Parish today. He says they want to set up locations, so flood victims can get disaster food stamps. Sammy Guillory with the state department of children and family services says anyone who was affected by the flood can apply…
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Pre-register for disaster food stamps at DCFS’ website or call 1-888-L-A-Help-U.

The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank says its warehouse was flooded and they lost a half million pounds of food. CEO Mike Manning says it’s difficult not to be able to feed people during these trying times.

Celtic Movie Studios in Baton Rouge has transformed into a shelter for flood victims. Emelie Gunn has more…
voicer 2 (32) “…I’m Emelie Gunn”

There’s concerns about flooding north of LA Highway 3125 and low-lying areas of St. James Parish. Parish President Timmy Roussel on the sandbagging operations…
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15:30 Newscast August 17,2016

The Department of Children and Family Services advises victims of the devastating flood to pre-register for disaster food stamps. DCFS Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory says this makes it easier for enrollees to receive their emergency food stamps once the DSNAP application websites open.
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Flood victims can apply online ad D-C-F-S-dot-L-A-dot-GOV-slash-preregister or call 1-888-LA-HELP-U.

Close to 6-thousand people are still staying in shelters after being forced from their homes because of the flooding. Governor John Bel Edwards along with FEMA and other agencies are working to come up with a plan to house the victims in the near and distant future. He says it’s too early to know exactly what the strategy will look like.
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The flooding is not over yet as St. James Parish officials are preparing sandbags for backwater flooding. Parish President Timmy Roussel says the community has come together and when one home is completely sandbagged, they all move on to the next. He does expect more homes to take on water and a few homes already have….
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There are numerous sandbagging locations on both the east and west banks.
The Lake Arthur area isn’t in the clear yet either when it comes to flooding. Johnathan Brazzell with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says unfortunately there is still more rain in the forecast. He says there’s a chance of some flash flood warnings as the day goes on.
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14:30 Newscast August 17,2016

As many as 6,000 of flood victims are still staying in shelters and many more are taking refuge with family and friends. FEMA, the Governor and other agencies are working to develop a plan to house people currently and in the distant future. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says they don’t know if they will bring in trailers but if it comes to that, these aren’t the same travel trailers we saw after Katrina.
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The Department of Children and Family Services is telling flood victims to pre-register for disaster food stamps. DCFS Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory says DSNAP benefits will be available once the state gets approval from the federal government. He says they hope to have registration sites open next week but DCFS has a lot going on right now…
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You can apply online on the D-C-F-S website or call 1-888-LA-HELP-U.

 

Celtic Media Studios in Baton Rouge opened their doors to flood victims as a shelter on Sunday morning. Director of Studio Operations Patrick Mulhearn says Saturday night the population of Celtic was zero and Sunday afternoon the population was about 4-thousand people. He says when buses of people started coming in, there were no volunteers so he turned to Facebook to find help…
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Many think the flood is over but Lake Arthur in Jefferson Davis Parish is still expected to get more flooding this week. Johnathan Brazzell with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says this will lead to more homes flooding and road closures. He says the flooding concerns are far from over in some southwestern parishes..
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13:30 Newscast, August 17th, 2016

Thousands of flood victims are still in shelters, and many more are staying with family and friends. Governor John Bel Edwards says there’s a lot of information that needs to be gathered from those that have been affected. But he says FEMA knows how to do this, so the state is following their lead…:
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The Department of Children and Family Services is advising flood victims to pre-register for disaster food stamps…:
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That’s DCFS Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory. You can pre-register online at D-C-F-S-dot-L-A-dot-gov. And again, everyone is encouraged to register for FEMA aid online at disasterassistance.gov.

Celtic Movie Studios in Baton Rouge has transformed into a massive shelter for flood victims. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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While flood waters are receding in some parishes, the Lake Arthur area in Jefferson Davis parish is still expecting more flooding this weekend and into next week. Johnathan Brazzell with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles says the Mermentau River is expected to crest at 11.5 feet by Friday, which would be the third highest crest the river has ever seen..:
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12:30 Newscast, August 17th, 2016

State officials are developing a plan for housing the thousands of flood victims who still cannot return to their homes. Halen Doughty has more.:
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Celtic Media Studios in Baton Rouge converted into a shelter, and Director of Operations Patrick Mulhearn says they had about 4,000 people there by Sunday afternoon. He says people from all different professions have shown up to help:
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The flooding is not over yet as officials in St. James Parish are preparing for backwater flooding. Parish President Timmy Roussel says the levels of water in the Blind River are higher than what was seen during Hurricane Isaac. He says residents are scrambling to sandbag their homes before the water reaches it…:
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He says the water is rising on the Blind River due to backwater flooding.

Tragedy has once again fallen upon the family of former Southern University football player Devon Gales — who was paralyzed in a game against Georgia last season. The Gales’ were in one of the thousands of homes in southeast Louisiana that flooded and were given transportation by Georgia back to Atlanta where Devon is still going through therapy.

 

11:30 Newscast, August 17th, 2016

Thousands of flood victims are still in shelters, and many more are staying with family and friends. Governor John Bel Edwards says his office and other agencies are developing a strategy for housing these people in the immediate and distant future. He says it’s too early to know exactly what that plan will look like…:
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Celtic Media Studios in Baton Rouge opened their doors to thousands of people who were forced out of their homes after the devastating storm. Director of Studio Operations Patrick Mulhearn says the lull in the film industry actually turned out to be a blessing…:
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Mulhearn says Saturday night the population of Celtic was zero and Sunday afternoon the population was about 4-thousand people.

In St. James Parish, residents are scrambling to sandbag homes as the concern of backwater flooding into the rising Blind River remains high this week.

The Department of Children and Family Services is advising flood victims to pre-register for disaster food stamps. If you experienced loss or damage from the floods, you can apply online at D-C-F-S-dot-L-A-dot-gov-slash-preregister (dcfs.la.gov/preregister) or call 1-888-LA-HELP-U. DCFS Deputy Assistant Secretary Sammy Guillory says pre-qualifying will make it easier for enrollees receive their emergency food stamps, once D-SNAP application sites open…:
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He says says DSNAP benefits will be available once the state gets approval from the federal government.

Close to 15,000 Entergy customers in South Louisiana remain without power. DEMCO has about 9,000 without lights.

 

10:30 LRN Newscast August 17th

Based on preliminary estimates, a vast majority of homeowners who flooded did not have flood insurance. Michael Barry with the Insurance Information Institute says these flood victims will seek help from FEMA, but typical FEMA direct assistance payments are around 10-thousand dollars. Barry says there is good news for motorists whose cars were damaged in the flood, if they have comprehensive coverage…
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Attorney General Jeff Landry says if residents see any cases of possible price gouging, they should call their consumer protection hotline. Landry says his office is also working with the online donation website, GoFundMe, to make sure contributions really go to flood victims…
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While tens of thousands of people have lost everything in the deadly flood, many are coming together to assist in recovery efforts throughout south Louisiana. Halen Doughty has more…
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The Red Cross says the flooding in Louisiana is the worst natural disaster to strike the US since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. They anitcipate that the relief operation will cost at least 30-million dollars. The Red Cross is mobilizing dozens of disaster response vehicles, filled with ready to eat meals.

09:30 Newscast, August 17th, 2016

When in doubt, register with FEMA. That’s what state officials are urging residents who were impacted in some way by the devastating floods in south Louisiana. Sadly, many people who took on water did not have flood insurance because they weren’t in a flood zone. Michael Barry with the Insurance Information Institute says you can register online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA…:
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He says the typical FEMA direct assistance payments are around $10-thousand, depending on the disaster. Survivors in 20 Louisiana parishes may now be eligible for federal disaster assistance.

Many residents with DEMCO are without power in Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Livingston. CLECO has sent crews out to assist with the nearly 10,000 DEMCO customers in the dark. Entergy is reporting 13,000 people are without lights at this time.

The Attorney General’s Office is warning flood victims to watch out for scammers when it comes time to fix up their damaged homes. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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Help for those whose lives have been turned upside down is pouring in. Volunteer Louisiana Executive Director, Judd Jeansonne…:
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He says people who want to help, can register at VolunteerLouisiana.gov.

 

08:30 Newscast, August 17th, 2016

Over 40-thousand homes were damaged by the floods, and unfortunately, many of them are not insured for flood damage. Jeff Palermo has more…:
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As residents begin to pick up the pieces, Attorney General Jeff Landry is warning those affected to please be wary of contractors you may not be familiar with. He says victims should check the state’s licensing board’s website…:
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Reports of looting have prompted officials to put nightly curfews in place. East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says several arrests have been made for looting. He says there are entire neighborhoods that are flooded, and police need to monitor those areas for looters…:
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Livingston and Ascension also have curfews in place.

If you’re wondering how you can help your friends and neighbors, Volunteer Louisiana Executive Director, Judd Jeansonne, says they need various types of assistance…:
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Jeansonne says people who want to help, can register at VolunteerLouisiana.gov.

The National Hurricane Center has begun issuing advisories on Tropical Depression Six. The storm formed shortly before 10:00 p.m. in the far eastern Atlantic. It has a good chance of becoming a tropical storm in the next two days.

 

07:30 Newscast, August 17th, 2016

The death toll from the devastating flooding in south Louisiana has now climbed to 11. In areas where flood waters are finally receding, search crews have the tall task ahead of a search of every home and business. Meanwhile, curfews are in place in East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension until conditions improve in those parishes. Officials say another reason they want people off the roads when it’s dark out is to prevent looting. There have been several reports of arrests for looting.

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard says they’ve been working around the clock to help residents, but many of his deputies lost everything in the flood…:
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About 14,000 Entergy customers remain without power this morning. Most in East Baton Rouge and Livingston. Over 7300 customers with DEMCO are still in the dark.

The Attorney General’s Office is working to make sure flood victims are protected from price gougers and scammers. A-G Jeff Landry says there have been cases in other states, where fraud artists have shown up and identified themselves as FEMA inspectors…:
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Landry advises storm victims to make sure all contractors for home repairs are licensed in Louisiana.

There are many people in the region who remained high and dry, and they want to know how they can best help their neighbors. Volunteer Louisiana Executive Director, Judd Jeansonne, asks those who want to assist to please be patient, as many areas are still in the emergency response phase..:
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Jeansonne says people who want to help, can register at VolunteerLouisiana.gov.