The state now reports 19 deaths related to Laura as two more fatalities are by the Department of Health linked to heat exhaustion in Rapides Parish.

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says to make sure you’re not left out of the coming deluge of settlements, present before and after photos of your house’s damage to your insurance company.

Cut 11 (13) “…out to you.”

Governor John Bel Edwards says despite the devastation he’s optimistic about the recovery.

Cut 3 (11)  “…to go”  

Beauregard Parish is still reeling from Laura, 80 percent of Parish households are still without power, 17,900 in total. Sheriff Mark Herford says there are hundreds of linemen working in the parish right now…

Cut 7 (10) “…back up”

49-year-old George Burns of Melder was shot by a Rapides Parish Sheriff SWAT marksman during a standoff after Burns allegedly barricaded in a home and fired at deputies after he called police threatening to kill himself. Rapides Sheriff Chief of Staff Carnline says it’s a sad situation and appears to be a family-related incident related to Burns’ estranged wife, but…

Cut 14 (12) “…often” 

It’s been one week since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish and cut a line of devastation from Lake Charles to Ruston. The Public Service Commission reports 211-thousand customers are still without power, down from the post-Laura peak of 615,000. Governor Edwards warns many of those are still in the hardest-hit areas.

Cut 4 (07)“ …restored” 

Nearly all of Winn, Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Cameron Parishes are still without power.

Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford says some areas of his parish could be without power for close to a month. He says Beauregard is your typical quiet rural parish, but there’s a lot of activity taking place now.

Cut 8 (11) “…do something”

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says with the mass amount of claims coming into insurers, policyholders need to file as soon as possible.

Cut 9 (07) “…resolve your claim.”

49-year-old George Burns of Melder was shot by a Rapides Parish Sheriff SWAT marksman during a standoff after Burns allegedly barricaded in a home and fired at deputies. After retreating from the home with Burns’ family Rapides Sheriff Chief of Staff Tommy Carnline says deputies called in the SWAT team and negotiators to try to talk Burns down, but it wasn’t working, and Burns began firing at law enforcement.

Cut 13 (11) “…Burns”

Burns is in stable but critical condition.

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

cut 2 (25) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”  

The Lafayette city-parish government is suing the person behind a satirical Antifa Facebook event page which had authorities respond to events this summer in River Ranch and at the Acadiana Mall. The lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges the hoaxes have cost taxpayers a considerable amount of money because law enforcement had to investigate each event. The defendant, 28, year-old, John Merrifield, says the social media posts have been taken out-of-context.

A lot of the attention on hurricane recovery in southwest Louisiana has been on Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, but Beauregard Parish also took a significant hit from the Category Four storm. Sheriff Mark Herford says 85-percent of the parish is without power, but you will not go hungry…

Cut 6 (12) “…people here.”

49-year-old George Burns of Melder was shot by a Rapides Parish Sheriff SWAT marksman during a standoff after Burns allegedly barricaded in a home and fired at deputies. Rapides Sheriff Chief of Staff Tommy Carnline says deputies responded to a call from a suspect threatening to kill himself. Carnline says when deputies entered the home…

Cut 12 (09) “…of aggravated arson.”

Burns is in stable, but critical condition.

Governor Edwards says about 212,000 households are still without power a week after Laura made landfall. Matt Doyle has the story.

Cut 1 (31) “…I’m Matt Doyle”  

The state surpasses a total of 150-thousand COVID-19 cases today, up by 884.  Total fatalities… 4858, up 17.  Hospitalizations drop by 22 to 851, the lowest since July. Ventilator use is 128, down by 4.

It’s been a week since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish and cut a line of devastation from Lake Charles to Ruston. Governor John Bel Edwards says as of this morning nearly 12-thousand people are being sheltered by the state, nearly all in hotels, and he’s concerned about what would happen if out of state evacuees were to return right now.

Cut 5 (09)  “…demand”

The Governor asks anyone being sheltered out of state to remain out of state for the time being.

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  whether it is tarping a roof, removing a tree, or whatever actions that need to be done, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon recommends taking whatever remedial steps can be taken to minimize the loss.

Cut 10 (08) “…connection therewith.”

It’s been one week since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish and cut a line of devastation from Lake Charles to Ruston. The Public Service Commission reports 211-thousand customers are still without power, down from the post-Laura peak of 615,000. Governor John Bel Edwards warns many of those still out are in the hardest-hit areas.

Cut 4 (07)“ …restored” 

Nearly all of Winn, Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Cameron Parishes are still without power.

Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford says some areas of his parish could be without power for close to a month. He says Beauregard is your typical quiet rural parish, but there’s a lot of activity taking place now.

Cut 8 (11) “…do something”

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says with the mass amount of claims coming into insurers, policyholders need to file as soon as possible.

Cut 9 (07) “…resolve your claim.”

Whether it is tarping a roof, removing a tree, or whatever actions that need to be done, Donelon recommends taking whatever remedial steps can be taken to minimize the loss.

And when you do hire contractors for repairs, State Licensing Board for Contractors spokesperson Brad Hassert recommends verifying someone is a licensed contractor. Hassert says it will mostly be unlicensed workers that will try to trick people out of money and one of the ways they do so is by asking for a large amount of payment upfront.

Cut 14 (11) “…question for me.” 

License verification can be done online at lslbc.louisiana.gov.

It’s been one week since Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish and cut a line of devastation from Lake Charles to Ruston.  Governor John Bel Edwards says no storm has ever maintained so much strength across so much of the state but despite the damage, he’s optimistic about the recovery.

Cut 3 (11)  “…to go”  

The Public Service Commission reports 211-thousand customers are still without power, down from the post-Laura peak of 615,000.

A lot of the attention on hurricane recovery in southwest Louisiana has been on Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, but Beauregard Parish also took a significant hit from the Category Four storm. Sheriff Mark Herford says there are hundreds of linemen working on getting the electricity and they deserve a pat on the back

Cut 7 (10) “…back up”

Hurricane Laura is estimated to be an eight-to-nine billion-dollar insured loss event, the second-highest in the state’s history only behind Katrina.  Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says anyone who took photos of their property before the storm should also take photos of the damage caused by the storm for comparison by an adjuster.

Cut 11 (13) “…out to you.”

Donelon says with the mass amount of claims coming to insurers, policyholders need to file as soon as possible.

The state surpasses a total of 150-thousand COVID-19 cases today, up by 884.  Total fatalities… 4858, up 17.  Hospitalizations drop to 851, the lowest since July 2, down 22. Ventilator use is a 128, down by 4.

Entergy Louisiana expects it will be about two to three weeks before power is available to customers in the Lake Charles area. CEO Phillip May says the infrastructure damage was substantial.
Cut 7 (08) “…destroyed”
May expects crews will energize the first of its transmission lines into Lake Charles in two weeks. The Public Service Commission reports 212-thousand customers in Louisiana are without power.

A lot of the attention on hurricane recovery in southwest Louisiana has been on Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes, but Beauregard Parish also took a significant hit from the Category Four storm. Sheriff Mark Herford says 85-percent of the parish is without power, but you will not go hungry…
cut 6 (12) “…people here”

LSU interim president Thomas Galligan says the university has reported 366 COVID-19 cases since August 15th. In addition to a symptom tracker feature, Galligan says the LSU website has a COVID dashboard that will be updated Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 4 PM.
Cut 4 (10)“ …from a person.”
Galligan says four student organizations are under investigation after videos surfaced showing them holding large parties.

Louisiana is seeking poll workers for the fall election. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says there are some volunteer positions, but Ardoin says you can also make a little money by working on election day…
cut 12 (07) “….pay is”
Citizens who are interested should go to electionworker.sos.la.gov.