9-15-21
ONE LANE IS OPEN ON I-TEN WESTBOUND AT THE BREAUX BRIDGE EXIT. IT HAD BEEN CLOSED BECAUSE OF A VEHICLE FIRE. TRAFFIC CONGESTION IS MINIMAL.
Residents in southern Louisiana are bracing for possible heavy rains as Nicholas crawls across the area. Nicholas made landfall as a hurricane early Tuesday in Texas and was soon downgraded to a tropical storm and a depression. But forecasters said Nicholas could potentially stall over storm-battered Louisiana and bring floods across the Deep South over the coming days. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards warned residents to expect flash flooding and to take the storm seriously despite its lack of hurricane status.
THE LAFAYETTE PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS READY TO DEPLOY WATER RESCUE TEAMS IN CASE OF FLOODING FROM TROPICAL DEPRESSION NICHOLAS. SHERIFF MARK GARBER SAYS THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED FOR A WATER RESCUE. THE TEAMS INCLUDE THIRTY-ONE HIGHLY TRAINED SEARCH AND RESCUE TECHNICIANS ALONG WITH BOATS, TWO TACTICAL VEHICLES AND TWO HUMVEES, INCLUDING ONE THAT CAN BE USED IN UP TO SIX FEET OF WATER. HE SAYS HIS DEPUTIES ARE READY TO TAKE THE RISK BUT ADVISES MOTORISTS NOT TO PUT THEMSELVES IN HARM’S WAY BY DRIVING THROUGH FLOODED ROADS.
PEOPLE IN LAKE CHARLES ARE CONTINUING TO PREPARE JUST IN CASE THE RAINS FROM NICHOLAS PRODUCE FLOODING. THE NATIONAL GUARD IS ON STANDBY. LIEUTENANT COLONEL CHRIS SPURLOCK SAYS THEIR BOAT TEAM IS PARTNERING WITH OTHER TEAMS TO PLACE ASSETS ACROSS CALCASIEU PARISH IN CASE OF AN EVENT. A SHELTER HAS BEEN SET UP AT THE BURTON COLISEUM IN CASE ANYONE NEEDS TO EVACUATE.
SYLVIA MASTERS HAS THE LATEST COVID-NINETEEN NUMBERS IN LOUISIANA.
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U-L LAFAYETTE HAS RECEIVED A THREE-AND-A-HALF MILLION DOLLAR GRANT TO FUND RESEARCH AT THEIR NEW IBERIA RESEARCH STATION. CONGRESSMAN CLAY HIGGINS ANNOUNCED THAT THE MONEY IS COMING FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. THE RESEARCH CENTER HAS MORE THAN SIXTY-EIGHT HUNDRED PRIMATES. HIGGINS SAYS HE’S ENCOURAGED THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS INVESTING IN WORK THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE IN SOUTH LOUISIANA.
FIVE PEDESTRIANS AND ONE DRIVER WERE INJURED BECAUSE OF A TWO VEHICLE CRASH AT THE INTERSECTION OF JOHNSTON AND UNIVERSITY IN LAFAYETTE. JUST BEFORE ELEVEN A-M YESTERDAY, A DRIVER RAN A RED LIGHT AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND THE FIVE PEDESTRIANS, WHO WERE WAITING TO CROSS THE STREET, WERE HIT. FOUR RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES AND WERE TREATED AT THE SCENE, BUT ONE OF THE PEDESTRIANS AND THE DRIVER WHO RAN THE RED LIGHT WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FOR MODERATE INJURIES. POLICE DO NOT BELIEVE IMPAIRMENT WAS A FACTOR IN THE CRASH.
SOME ACADIANA PARISHES ARE NOW ELIGIBLE FOR DISASTER SNAP BENEFITS AS PEOPLE CONTINUE TO RECOVER FROM IDA. SYLVIA MASTERS HAS MORE.
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