LRN PM Newscall September 12

Hurricane Francine came ashore with 100 mile per hour winds, but it will likely be remembered for the flash flooding it caused in southeast Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (30) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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Francine has left hundreds of thousands in southeast Louisiana without power and Entergy is still trying to assess the damage before giving an ETA on restoration in the hardest hit areas.  Sean Richardson has the story.

Cut 2 (33) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”

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The New Orleans metro area is drying out after Francine dumped several inches of rain in a short amount of time. Jefferson Parish president Cynthia Lee Sheng says the east bank took on seven to nine inches of rain, some areas got 11 inches which led to flooding…

Cut 3 (06) “…or down us.”

Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley says the flooding from Francine is as bad as it was for Hurricane Katrina….

Cut 4 (10) “…in time.”

Numerous homes have been flooded.

Flash flooding was also an issue in Thibodaux. Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson says emergency responders had to rescue several people trapped due to rising water…

Cut 5 (09) “…our shelter.”

Most of Lafourche is without power. But Chaisson is optimistic power will be restored sooner than later…

Cut 6 (15) “…what we thought.”

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Governor Landry and other officials flew over Terrebonne, Lafourche and St. Mary parishes this afternoon. Those three parishes took on the brunt of Francine which made landfall as a Category two storm in Terrebonne. Landry says there’s property damage but he says the bayou parishes were spared from major flooding

Cut 7 (09) “…doing works.”

State officials are trying to get a number on how many households and businesses sustained damages from Francine. It’s believed there’s more water damage than wind damage. Landry says the state has been through this before and its people will respond…

Cut 8 (09)  “…back in order.”

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Hurricane Francine has caused widespread power outages across southeast Louisiana, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without electricity. Entergy has been working around the clock to assess and repair the damage.  President and CEO of Entergy Louisiana Phillip May says the challenge ahead is restoring power.

Cut 9 (11)  “…restore power.”

May emphasized Entergy’s commitment to getting electricity back to affected communities as quickly as possible while ensuring the safety of both residents and repair crews. May explained that the process might take several days due to the extensive damage, especially in hard-hit areas along the coast.

Cut 10 (02) “…category 2 storm.”

May urges patience and assures residents that crews are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. While some progress has already been made, full restoration efforts will continue until all residents have power again.

Cut 11 (07) “…in the field.”

May also remind people to stay away from downed power lines and report any emergencies immediately.

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Louisiana is getting assistance at the federal level after President Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state. Senator John Kennedy has been working to secure the money needed to help in the recovery effort.

Cut 12 (07) “…we pay taxes.”

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell says even though the storm has passed, there are still hazards out there that people need to be aware of.

Cut 13 (09) “…sure they’re safe.” 

Criswell also urges homeowners to fully document the damage to their properties, including taking photos, and to call their insurance companies as soon as possible to get the claim process started.

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Governor Landry took time this morning to publicly praise the good Samaritan who on live TV rescued a driver whose pickup truck was rapidly getting submerged by flood waters in New Orleans.

Cut 14 (16) “..Miles for that.”

At the same time, Landry, in an indirect way, chided the driver for driving around the barricades at the Canal Street Underpass, putting himself in the predicament in the first place.

Cut 15 (07) “…kinds of situations.”

The TV footage showed that Crawford acted in the nick of time; had he not, the driver would have likely drowned.