Louisiana Congressman and Air Force major Ralph Abraham is flying Harvey missions over Texas. Don Molino has the story…
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The Department of Children and Family Services says they’ve decided to open a second mega-shelter in the state for flood victims in Texas. Michelle Southern reports…:
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Richland Parish Congressman Ralph Abraham is taking to the skies and flying Harvey missions with the US Air Force. Abraham is a major in the Air Force Auxiliary and says his assignment began Thursday. He says he flew over Beaumont and Port Arthur.
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Abraham says flying these missions is his small way of giving back. He says that’s what we do in the Bayou State, which is why he is so proud to be a Louisianan.
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Abraham got practice flying this kind of operation during last year’s floods in Louisiana. He says it’s unclear how long these missions will be necessary. He says it depends on what they find and who requests certain air assets and follow-up groundwork.
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The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Irma, which is way out in the Atlantic Ocean, will remain a powerful hurricane for days. Forecaster Eric Blake says Irma is about 15-hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands…
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Most of the models show Irma steering clear of the Gulf of Mexico, but Blake says the Gulf Coast shouldn’t let their guard down…
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According to the property management company TurnKey Vacation Rentals, Louisiana residents’ favorite place to travel for the Labor Day Holiday is Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Spokesman TJ Clark says they used Google search activity for the study, to look at the top 250 vacation destinations..:
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Clark says this is the least popular of the three summer travel holidays; Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day, but that also means there are great deals out there. He says Louisiana wasn’t alone in loving Gatlinburg and Chatanooga…:
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Clark says it’s not surprising that folks in the state looking to leave the scorching hot late summer heat for Gatlinburg…:
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The Department of Children and Family Services says they’ve decided to open a second mega-shelter in the state for flood victims in Texas, this time in Shreveport. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says they’re also taking care of nearly 2000 Lone Star State residents in Alexandria…:
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Walters says they are nearing capacity in Alexandria so the doors are opening to the massive shelter in Shreveport which can take well over 2,000 people. She says there are several more shelters ready to go in north Louisiana that were designed open in the event New Orleans had to be evacuated again..:
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Walters says it’s too early in the process to say how long these shelters will be open. She says they know that people always want to be as close to home as possible…:
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The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is this Labor Day weekend. Executive Director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Katara Williams says this is an effort to curtail drunk driving during the holiday weekend, which is one of the deadliest weekends in the year.
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Williams says if you’ve had anything to drink at all, you do not need to get behind the wheel. She encourages motorists to get a game plan and designate a driver beforehand. She says there are too many other options for anyone to drive drunk.
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But she says one option people should not consider is getting behind the wheel after drinking. In Louisiana, about 47 percent of vehicle fatalities involve drunk driving. Williams says she wants people to celebrate the holiday, but they need to do so safely.
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