louisiana News

In a State Used to Hurricanes and Flooding, Louisiana Is Battling an Unprecedented Wildfire Season

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana, typically one of the wettest states in the country, is on fire. In communities often challenged by flooding and hurricanes this time of year, firefighters instead are fending off 300-foot-tall (91.44 meters) blazes during …

Climate Change Is Causing an Insurance Crisis in Louisiana

A little over a year ago, Peter Gardner, a Louisiana developer, completed rehabbing an apartment building with 144 units and got a surprise so ugly it made him decide to move his business out of town. When the project began, …

‘Ongoing’ Talks About Possible Special Session in Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — As Louisiana continues to be plagued by insurance woes, with insurers leaving or going out of business in the hurricane-stricken state, some lawmakers say a special legislative session to address the crisis is imminent. Discussions …

New Louisiana Laws Require Hurricane Mediation Program, Catastrophe Response Plan

Louisiana lawmakers passed several bills last legislative session in response to insurers’ handling of recent natural disasters, five of which went into effect Jan. 1, 2023. The legislation resulted from a shaken homeowners insurance market that experienced eight insurers leave …

Law Firm that Touted Technology Accused of Fraud, Hits Blockade in La. Courtroom

Zach Moseley says his law firm has invested millions of dollars in technology to serve more clients. During a video interview with a social media consultant, he said McClenny Moseley & Associates hopes to represent 50,000 policyholders with claims caused …

Dredging Company to Pay $1M for Restoration Work Oil Spill

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Houston dredging company has been ordered to pay a $1 million fine for an oil spill that occurred when a subcontractor cut through an oil pipeline during barrier island restoration work off Louisiana in 2016. …

Three Black Churches Rebuilding in Louisiana After 2019 Arson

OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) — Three years after an arsonist torched three small Black Baptist churches in rural Louisiana, rebuilding is well under way. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas is months from reopening, with visible progress at St. Mary Baptist …

Louisiana Twister Carved Destruction in Mere Moments

ARABI, La. (AP) — A powerful tornado took mere seconds to rip off roofs and destroy homes as it chiseled a path of destruction through a New Orleans area neighborhood where one man died, residents said Wednesday as they picked …

Louisiana Sends National Guard to Tornado Disaster Area

ARABI, La. (AP) — A tornado that menaced New Orleans flipped a schoolbus, ripped off rooftops and deposited a house with a family inside onto the middle of Prosperity Street. Two people were killed as the storm front blew across …

La. Lawmakers Outline Insurance Complaints After Hurricane Ida

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Slow responses to damage claims. Constant switch-ups of insurance adjusters assessing the destruction. Low payment offers forcing people unnecessarily into litigation to get a fair deal. Louisiana lawmakers and others said Wednesday that those are …