Environment
Over a half-million without electricity following Hurricane Delta
More than a half-million were without electricity Saturday after Hurricane Delta slammed Southwest Louisiana — an area that had been trying to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Laura just over a month ago. In two press conferences Saturday, Gov. John Bel Edwards gave updates on the state’s recovery efforts, which he said are focused […]
Hurricane Delta not expected to overwhelm hotels sheltering displaced residents, Gov. Edwards says
Hurricane Delta has weakened somewhat and will make landfall in Southwest Louisiana Friday night as a Category 2, moving relatively quickly, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Friday afternoon at a press conference. The storm registered as a Category 3 earlier Friday. “The fact that it’s weakening should not cause anyone to lose focus or lose […]
Hurricane Delta will make landfall as a Category 2
Hurricane Delta is expected to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in Southwest Louisiana Friday evening, very close to where Hurricane Laura made landfall six weeks ago, Gov. John Bel Edwards said at a Thursday afternoon press conference at the Louisiana State Police Training Academy in Baton Rouge. “Warning and watches across much of […]
Hurricane Delta moves toward Louisiana
The National Weather Service in New Orleans has predicted Hurricane Delta to make landfall in South Louisiana Friday as a Category 3 storm. Although Delta reached Category 4 strength on Tuesday, it weakened as it struck the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico Wednesday morning and was later downgraded to a Category 2 in the afternoon. Nevertheless, […]
Gov. Edwards declares state of emergency in advance of Tropical Storm Beta
Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency on Sept. 21 in advance of Tropical Storm Beta’s expected landfall on the Texas coast Monday night. Tropical Storm warnings are in effect for much of Louisiana’s coastline, and the storm’s slow movement puts Southwest Louisiana at risk for flash flooding and river flooding Monday through […]
Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ highlighted at congressional forum as an example of pollution’s deadliness
WASHINGTON —Louisiana activists are calling on Congress to bolster environmental justice protections at the federal level, in advance of a key vote in Congress next week. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) heard from the environmental justice advocates at an online forum Thursday on Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” part of a virtual “tour” with […]
Schools in 13 parishes are closed after Hurricane Laura
School system in 13 parishes have stopped their school year due to Hurricane Laura, said Cade Brumley, Louisiana schools superintendent, at a Louisiana House education committee meeting Friday. Calcasieu Parish, for example, have closed their schools until further notice because 97% of their school facilities suffered “substantial damage,” according to their Facebook page. Once power […]
A burning chemical plant may be just the tip of Hurricane Laura’s damage in this area of oil fields and industry
By John Pardue, Louisiana State University Hurricane Laura plowed through the heart of Louisiana’s oil and chemical industries as a powerful Category 4 storm, leaving a chlorine plant on fire and the potential for more hazardous damage in its wake. The burning BioLab facility sent dark smoke and chlorine gas into the air over the […]
Hurricane Laura damage means it will be weeks before Southwest Louisianians can return home
Thousands of people won’t be able to return to their homes in Southwest Louisiana for weeks because they won’t have reliable access to power, water and sewer services, state officials and health experts said this week. The situation is especially dire in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, which were hit directly by Hurricane Laura. The storm […]
Hurricane Laura Recovery: Numbers that help you understand what’s going on
The following are some figures that should help the public understand the impact of Hurricane Laura on Louisiana. 600,000 people face water restrictions — or have no water at all. There are 74 water systems in Louisiana — affecting about 180,000 people total — where there is a “water outage” due to Hurricane Laura. That […]
Hurricane Laura destroys, but volunteers rally to help Lake Charles survive
LAKE CHARLES — On Saturday, much of southwest Louisiana remained without electricity, water, food and other essential provisions in the wake of Hurricane Laura. While state and federal governments were still mobilizing assets, many residents turned to volunteers for help. Thousands of vehicles waited in long lines at a single distribution point in downtown Lake […]
Photo Gallery: New Orleans remembers those lost to Hurricane Katrina 15 years later
Robert Green lost his 3-year-old granddaughter and 73-year-old mother when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. Fifteen years later, Green spoke to a socially distanced crowd at a healing ceremony in their honor. “Our spirit didn’t die that day, Green said. “Our spirit has been lifted by all the people who came, […]