The Humane Society of Louisiana is still working to rescue animals that were lost in the flood and reunite them with their owners. Halen Doughty has more…
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President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Baton Rouge today to see some of the damage from the Great Flood of 2016. Don Molino has more…
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Congressman Garret Graves says the first order of business when Congress returns in September is to meet the unmet needs to those who lost everything in the floods. Emelie Gunn has more on his plans…
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Homes and vehicles were not the only things lost in the recent flood, as the LSU AgCenter reports hundreds of thousands of acres of crops were lost. Kurt Guidry with the AgCenter says the total value of crops lost is about $110 million.
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Guidry says soybeans crops had about $46 million in yield losses, and rice wasn’t far behind at $33 million in losses. He says it could be a while before we know exactly how much farmers lost in their yield because of the flood.
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Guidry says about $3 million worth of sugarcane will have to be replanted, and it’s still not clear what the livestock losses are. He says during the flooding in north Louisiana this spring, ranchers lost upwards of 500 to 600 cattle.
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President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Louisiana today to see the devastation from the flood first hand. UL-Lafayette political science professor Pearson Cross says from a political standpoint, it would have been better if the President had come sooner.
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Cross says right now the real question is if Congress will give Louisiana more federal support. He says the best thing that could come out of this visit is for Mr. Obama to convince Congress to help flood victims get back on their feet.
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According to the White House the President will get a first-hand look at the devastating flooding, hear from local officials and tell the people of Louisiana that the American people will be with them as they rebuild. Cross says voters who like the President may be glad that he came. But he says other will not be as thrilled to see the Commander in Chief.
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The Humane Society of Louisiana is partnering with animal shelters around the country to help rescue and find homes for animals that were left behind when the flood waters rose. H-S-L Executive Director, Jeff Dorson, says they are still doing animal rescues in Livingston parish.
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Dorson says they’ve also teamed up with Livingston Parish Animal Shelter, and people can call or come by to see if their animal may have been rescued. He says they’re doing everything they can to reunite pets with their owners.
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Dorson says they are looking for people who want to volunteer or shelter animals. He says people can find out more and make monetary donations at HumaneLA.org.
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Congressman Garret Graves says once Congress returns next month, first order of business is to address the unmet needs of the property owners whose homes were flooded and didn’t have flood insurance. He says in order for our community to recover there needs to be an assistance package to help those affected.
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Graves says if these flood victims end up owing more on their house than it’s worth, they could eventually be on a government poverty program. He says they are working on legislation that could help homeowners who lost everything.
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Graves admits it may be difficult to get a financial aid package approved because 3 members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation voted against a Hurricane Sandy relief package. The congressman plans to speak to the president today about financial aid for flood victims, local businesses, schools, plus flood protection from the area.
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