06:45 LRN Sportscast August 23rd

After Saturday night’s loss to Houston in preseason action, Saints Coach Sean Payton expressed his displeasure with the team’s performance, especially on the offensive side of the ball. After looking at the tape, Payton says there were some bright spots….
cut 30 (30) “…quickness”
Payton believes he’ll get better play from the offensive line. He says part of the problem has been shuffling second year pro Andrus Peat between guard and tackle. He says hopefully Peat can settle in, now that tackle Terron Armstead is back healthy.

LSU has confirmed that top rated junior college defensive tackle Travonte Valentine is eligible to play this season. The 350-pounder had to pass a summer intersession class in order to play in 2016. Valentine’s addition to the roster, means quite a battle for playing time at nose tackle in Dave Aranda’s three-four defense. Greg Gilmore is competing with Valentine for that starting spot and he’s been impressed with Valentine’s ability…
cut 29 (22) “….learn from him too”
While LSU has added a defensive lineman to the roster, they’ve lost an offensive lineman. 2015 signee George Brown Junior is reportedly transferring.

06:30 LRN Newscast August 23rd

President Barack Obama visits 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…
cut 7 (09) “…do anything”
Republican Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says he plans to speak to the President today about financial aid for flood victims, local businesses, schools and funding for flood protection for that area…
cut 15 (05) “….watershed”
FEMA deputy associate administrator for insurance, Roy Wright, says over 25-thousand claims have been filed with the National Flood Insurance Program and 15-million dollars in advance payments have already been sent out to flooded homeowners.

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…
voicer 1 (30) “….I’m Halen Doughty

According to the LSU Ag Center, the flood damage will cost the state’s agricultural industry at least 110-million dollars.

AM Newscall August 23,2016

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…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Halen Doughty”

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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…

Cut 2 (28) “I’m Don Molino”

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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…

Cut 3 (26) “I’m Emelie Gunn”

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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.

cut 4  (12)  “sweet potatoes”

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.

Cut 5  (09)  “this damage”

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.

Cut 6 (07) “latest event”

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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.

CUT 7 (09)  “do anything”

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.

Cut 8 (10) “that regard” 

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.

Cut 9 (12)  “Mr. President”

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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.

Cut 10 (09) “and recover”

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.

cut 11 (08) “their animal”

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.

cut 12 (10) “help everybody”

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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.

Cut 13 (08) “this size”

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.

cut 14 (08)  “core needs”

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.

Cut 15 (05) “watershed”

18:30 Newscast August 22,2016

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says flood victims are still needing volunteers to help gut their homes. Mike Steele with GOHSEP says visit volunteer-louisiana-dot-gov if you want to help. He says many people whose homes were damaged are elderly and not able to make repairs on their own.

Cut 11 (09) “large area.”

Steele says the Great Flood of 2016 is similar to what was seen in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

LSU Economist Jim Richardson predicts it could take at least one year for southern Louisiana to recover from the historic flooding. Richardson says in the short-term, the flooding could boost the economy with flood victims purchasing new furniture, flooring, and sheet-rock. He says housing is the biggest issue for those who lost their homes..
Cut 13 (10) “availability”

 
Flood victims who have been displaced may have trouble finding a new home. Don Molino has more…
CUT 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino”

The LSU AgCenter estimates the heavy rains that caused the Great Flood of 2016 will cost Louisiana at least 110 million dollars. Soybeans will likely take the biggest hit with yield losses expected to be nearly 46 million dollars. It’s not clear at this time how many livestock deaths were caused by the flooding. The flooding will cost the rice industry about 33 million dollars in yield losses.

17:30 Newscast August 22,2016

LSU Economist Jim Richardson estimates it will take at least one year to recover from the historic floods. Richardson says many victims of the flooding did not have flood insurance, which could possibly force some people to go into debt to restore their home.
Cut 14 (10) “be in”

Richardson says Livingston Parish, which was the hardest hit , may need a little longer to get back to some kind of normalcy.

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says people are still needed to help flood victims clean our their waterlogged homes. Mike Steele with GOHSEP says until the major cleanup inside is complete, people cannot start to rebuild.
Cut 9 (08) “urgent need.”

Anyone who wants to help can sign up at VolunteerLouisiana.gov.

 
About 60-thousand homes received water damage during the Great Flood of 2016, according to state officials. Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors President Tiffany Palmer says the already short supply of homes has declined as many were flooded or taken off the market. She says people looking to buy new homes may not be able to find their dream home, because of the limited availability.
CUT 5 (09) “perfect one”

The evacuation order for the town of Gueydan (GAY-dahn) in Vermillion Parish has been lifted. Vermilion Emergency Preparedness director Rebecca Broussard says they avoided major flooding because of the Louisiana National Guard.
CUT 6 (09) “in that area”

Broussard says some homes in Vermilion Parish had water up to the roof, and several roads are still underwater.

16:30 LRN Newscast Aug 22

LSU Economist Jim Richardson estimates it will take at least a year to recover from the historic flood damage. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”

Entergy announces power has been restored to all the homes that can safely receive it. They say about 2-thousand customers are still without power because of extensive flood damage to their homes. Overall, over 32-thousand Entergy customers were affected by the historic flooding.

Vermilion parish is beginning to enter the recovery phase of their flood relief efforts. Emergency Preparedness director, Rebecca Broussard says some homes in Vermilion Parish had water up to the roof, and several roads are still underwater. She says usually flooding in Vermilion is the result of storm surge from hurricanes, but that’s not the case this time.

CUT 8 (07) “insurance” 

She says 11-hundred homes in the parish flooded.

The Amite River, which contributed to much of the flooding in southeast Louisiana, should finally fall below flood stage today. Freddie Zeigler, with the National Weather Service in Slidell, says the Amite is still above flood stage at French Settlement in Livingston Parish, but that should change by tomorrow

cut 15 (05) “four-point-four”

Zeigler says unfortunately the flood threat is not over yet, as backwater remains a problem in some areas.

16:45 LRN Sportscast August 22nd

The Saints are back at their training facility in Metairie as training camp continues for the Black and Gold. Veteran cornerback Keenan Lewis is no longer with the team. He’s been released, after knee and hip injuries led to the New Orleans native appearing in just six games last season. Coach Sean Payton says the decision to cut Lewis is based on the fact he couldn’t get on the field…
cut 19 (13) “…wish him well”
Lewis told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he and new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen didn’t get along from day one.

LSU is ranked fifth in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. It’s the Tigers highest ranking since 2012. The Tigers practice this afternoon. Running back Leonard Fournette did not participate in a scrimmage on Saturday, because of his sprained ankle. But Coach Les Miles back-up running backs Derrius Guice and Darrel Williams looked good.

Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz still has not made a decision on who will start at quarterback for the Bulldogs when they begin the season on September 3rd at Arkansas. Tech held a scrimmage last Saturday and Holtz wasn’t very happy with his receivers…
cut 30 (16) “…we had”

McNeese State football coach Lance Guidry tells Chandler Rome with the American Press that he plans to name a starting quarterback on Wednesday. But Guidry plans to play two in the season opener against Tarleton State. Also, former St. Thomas More kicker Gunnar Raborn is transferring from Alabama to McNeese State.

The Summer Olympics are done. LSU athletics director Joe Alleva says four current and former Tigers earned medals. Former Lady Tigers Seimone Augusuts and Sylvia Fowles won gold medals for the US women’s basketball team.

15:30 Newscast August 22,2016

It’s estimated it will take at least one year to recover from the historic floods. That’s according to LSU Economist Jim Richardson who says Livingston Parish, which was the hardest hit, will need a while to get back to some kind of normalcy. He expects big box companies should be back on their feet quickly, but it could take smaller businesses longer.
cut 12 (10) “business loans”

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says help is still needed to get the muck out of flood victims homes. Mike Steele with GOHSEP says volunteers can sign up at volunteer-louisiana-dot-gov. He says the damage from this flood is similar to what was seen after Hurricane Katrina.
cut 10 (10) “deal with”

 

State officals estimate about 60-thousand homes were flooded and many displaced residents are looking for new places to live. Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors president Tiffany Palmer says there aren’t many homes left, especially when it comes to apartments.
CUT 3 (09) “and Southern”

Palmer says she doesn’t expect people to flee the area completely, but many will look for homes in areas that did not flood.

The evacuation order for the Vermilion Parish town of Gueydan (GAY-dahn) has been lifted. The order was issued when the levee along Hwy 713 was breached on Wednesday but was contained Sunday when 4-thousand pound sandbags were placed along the levee. Vermilion Emergency Preparedness director Rebecca Broussard says they still had over 11-hundred homes flooded throughout the parish.
CUT 7 (07) “a process”

14:30 LRN Newscast August 22nd

It’s estimated it will take at least one year to recover from the historic floods. That’s according LSU economist Jim Richardson, who says the biggest issue is housing for those who lost their homes, which cannot be solved overnight…
cut 13 (10) “…availability”
Richardson says many victims of the flooding did not have flood insurance, which will force some to go into debt to restore their home.

The state estimates 60-thousand homes were damaged by floods, which is leading to a housing crunch in the Capital City area. Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors president Tiffany Palmer says if families are able to find rentals, they could run into leasing problems, because most landlords want to sign leases for at least six months….
cut 4 (09) “…have one”

The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says volunteers are needed to help flooded homeowners get the muck out of their homes. GOHSEP spokesperson Mike Steele says many flood victims are elderly and not able to repair the damage….
cut 11 (09) “…large area”
Steele says you can sign up to volunteer at volunteer-louisiana-dot-gov.

The Amite River, which contributed to much of the flooding in southeast Louisiana is expected to fall below flood stage later today. But Freddie Zeigler, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service in Slidell, says the flood event is not over as backwater remains a problem in some areas…
cut 16 (06) “…drain out”
The state estimated at least 40 highways remain flooded.

LRN PM Newscall August 22nd

Flood victims who have been displaced may have trouble finding a new home. Don Molino has more…

CUT 1 (30) “I’m Don Molino”

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LSU Economist Jim Richardson estimates it will take at least a year to recover from the historic flood damage. Jeff Palermo has more…

CUT 2 (30)  “I’m Jeff Palermo”

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State officials estimate 60-thousand homes were damaged in the Great Flood of 2016, and many displaced residents are now looking for new places to live. Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors president Tiffany Palmer says unfortunately there’s a low inventory of homes, especially for apartments…

CUT 3 (09)  “and Southern”

Palmer says she doesn’t expect people to flee the area completely, but many will look for homes in areas that did not flood. She says if families are able to find rentals, they could run into leasing problems, because most landlords want to sign leases for at least six months.

CUT 4 (09)  “have one”

The already short supply of available homes has dwindled, as some were flooded or taken off the market. Palmer says those looking to buy new homes may not be able to find their dream home, because of the limited availability.

CUT 5 (09)  “perfect one”

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The evacuation order has been lifted in the Vermilion parish town of Gueydan (GAY-dahn). Vermilion Emergency Preparedness director Rebecca Broussard says they avoided major flooding in Gueydan thanks to the Louisiana National Guard.

CUT 6 (09) “in that area”

An evacuation order for the town of Gueydan was issued when the levee along Highway 713 was breached Wednesday, but the breach was contained Sunday after hundreds of 4-thousand pound sandbags were dropped along the levee. However, Broussard says they still had over 11-hundred homes flooded throughout the parish.

CUT 7 (07) “a process”

Broussard says some homes in Vermilion Parish had water up to the roof, and several roads are still underwater. She says usually flooding in Vermilion is the result of storm surge from hurricanes, but that’s not the case this time.

CUT 8 (07) “insurance” 

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The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says volunteers are needed to help flooded homeowners get the muck out of their homes. Mike Steele with GOHSEP says until this difficult cleanup is done, people cannot start to rebuild.

CUT 9 (08) “urgent need”

Steele says the damage from this flood is similar to what they saw in the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina.

cut 10 (10)  “deal with”

Steele says people who want to help can sign up at VolunteerLouisiana.gov. He says many people whose home were damaged are elderly and not able to repair the damage.

Cut 11 (09) “large area”

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It’s estimated it will take at least one year to recover from the historic floods. That’s according to LSU Economist Jim Richardson who says Livingston Parish, which was the hardest hit, will need a while to get back to some kind of normalcy. He expects big national businesses should be back on their feet quickly, but it may take smaller businesses longer.

cut 12 (10) “business loans”

Richardson says in the short-term, this event could boost the economy with flood victims purchasing new furniture, flooring, and sheet-rock. He says the biggest issue is housing for those who lost their homes, which cannot be solved overnight.

Cut 13 (10)  “availability” 

Richardson says many victims of the flooding did not have flood insurance, which will force some to go into debt to restore their home.

cut 14 (10)  “be in”

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The Amite River, which contributed to much of the flooding in southeast Louisiana should finally fall below flood stage today. Freddie Zeigler, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service in Slidell, says the Amite is still above flood stage at French Settlement in Livingston Parish, but that should change by tomorrow

cut 15 (05) “four-point-four”

Zeigler says even though the Amite should be below flood stage by tomorrow, the flood event is not over as backwater remains a problem in some areas…

cut 16 (06) “drain out”

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