Latest Louisiana Headlines

All the headlines from our Louisiana Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Tornadoes Leave Damage Behind in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi

Apr 4 2016 // Strong storms plowed through Georgia on their way to the Carolinas Friday, spawning at least one confirmed tornado, after setting off tornadoes that swirled through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The National Weather...

FEMA Denies Request for Levee Repairs in Grand Isle, Louisiana

Apr 3 2016 // Grand Isle, La., officials have been met with another setback as they try to determine how to rebuild their first-line storm defense. The town’s levees were torn up again by heavy storms three weeks ago. WVUE reports...

Severe Storms Move East Leaving 7 Hurt, Damage in Oklahoma

Apr 1 2016 // At least seven people were injured and authorities were evaluating the damage in northeastern Oklahoma after severe storms spawned multiple tornado touchdowns Wednesday night, authorities said. National Weather Service...

Road, Bridge Damage from Louisiana Flooding Pegged at $20M

Mar 31 2016 // Louisiana’s transportation secretary says flooding from storms that struck the state in March caused up to $20 million in road and bridge damage. The Advocate reports Shawn Wilson described the damage in a House...

4 Parishes Added to Louisiana Disaster Declaration

Mar 30 2016 // Four more parishes have been added to a presidential disaster declaration that followed recent historic flooding in Louisiana. Sen. David Vitter’s office said that the latest additions are Jackson, Rapides, Red River...

FEMA to Louisiana Flood Victims: Don’t Wait to Begin Repairs

Mar 28 2016 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency is urging Louisiana residents whose homes were damaged during recent floods not to wait for a FEMA inspector before beginning to clean up and conduct repairs. FEMA spokeswoman Deanna...

Louisiana Governor Seeks Disaster Declaration for 9 More Parishes

Mar 28 2016 // Gov. John Bel Edwards has asked President Barack Obama to amend the federal disaster declaration for the state to include nine additional parishes: Catahoula, East Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Rapides, Red River,...

Guilty Plea in Theft of $1.5M Insurance Settlement in Louisiana

Mar 21 2016 // A Lafayette, La., man is facing a possible 20-year prison sentence for stealing about $1.5 million from an insurance settlement received by his sister. U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley said that 37-year-old Kevin Ralph...

Despite Energy Job Losses, South Central States Report Some Employment Gains

Mar 21 2016 // While oil and gas industry job losses had an impact in the South Central states over the last year, Arkansas, Louisiana Oklahoma and Texas still saw decreases in unemployment rates in 2015. Year-over-year from 2014 to...

Rising Rivers, Bayous Force Texas Evacuations

Mar 17 2016 // Residents were evacuating their homes in Southeast Texas on March 15 as rivers swollen by days of heavy rain displaced thousands of people, forced the temporary closure of a major interstate and overwhelmed small towns...

Water Starting to Recede from Homes in North Louisiana

Mar 15 2016 // Emergency officials in Louisiana and Mississippi were watching the rise of the Pearl River that divides the two states on March 14 amid widespread flooding that has damaged thousands of homes. In north Louisiana, the water...

Major Storm System Causes Widespread Flooding in Mississippi

Mar 14 2016 // As the Leaf River rose north of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 26-year-old Rebecca Bruce and her fiancé grabbed what they could and left the shed where they live. The water was more than 2 feet deep indoors when they left, she...

Louisiana Lashed by Severe Weather, Flooding

Mar 14 2016 // Recent torrential rains that pounded Louisiana left roads impassable, submerging cars and forcing people from their homes overnight. The Bossier City area across the Red River from Shreveport took the brunt of the storm...

Cochran Named Eastern Louisiana Marketing Rep for Lighthouse Insurance

Mar 11 2016 // Lighthouse Management LLC, a licensed MGA representing Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp. (Lighthouse), has appointed Jennifer Cochran as the marketing representative for eastern Louisiana. With eight years of experience...

Storm System Dumps Heavy Rain on South Central States, More Expected

Mar 10 2016 // A large storm system has drenched areas in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas that were already inundated with heavy rainfall this week. Two people have drowned in Oklahoma and Texas. Nearly a foot of rain fell over parts of...

OSHA Cites Biofuel Company over Louisiana Hydrogen Gas Explosion

Mar 8 2016 // The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined a Geismar, La., biodiesel plant $70,000 and has cited a biofuels company over a September hydrogen gas explosion. The Advocate reports that OSHA also cited...

Gulf Coast Mangled by Swath of Tornadoes

Mar 7 2016 // The National Weather Service on Feb. 26 updated to 13 the number of tornadoes that hit Louisiana on Feb. 23, including four tornadoes — one an EF-3 — that were responsible for extreme damage in Convent and...

Louisiana Flood Board Appeals Dismissal of Suit Against Oil Companies

Mar 2 2016 // A lawyer for a flood protection agency tried on Feb. 29 to revive a closely-watched lawsuit alleging oil and natural gas companies are responsible for destroying Louisiana’s coast, telling an appeals court that a...

Cabbies in Louisiana Parish Sue UberX Drivers

Mar 2 2016 // Taxi drivers in Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish have filed a lawsuit claiming UberX drivers are picking up fares illegally in the parish. It’s the latest in a series of legal challenges to Uber’s operations...

Louisiana’s New Auto Insurance Monitoring System Now in Effect

Mar 1 2016 // A new real-time auto insurance monitoring system is now being used in some parts of Louisiana to help police enforce the requirement that drivers are up to date on paying their premiums. The American Press reports the new...