Now open: A business recovery center opened in Denham Springs this morning to assist businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters impacted by flooding. The center is located in the Arts Council of Livingston Parish, 133 N. Hummell St., and will operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, says the center—along with six others that have been opened in south Louisiana—is meant to function as a one-stop shop for businesses to meet with SBA specialists. Other centers are located in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Amite, Prairieville, Walker and Baker.
Large donation: Capital One Bank Louisiana executives will later today give $250,000 to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s Louisiana Flood Relief Fund, the largest donation to the fund to date. BRAF says it will turn the money over to nonprofits helping flood victims. According to BRAF’s website, the fund has raised approximately $1.1 million since its creation on Aug. 14. BRAF is aiming to raise $1.5 million through the fund.
Keeping a watchful eye: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says officials are closely monitoring a tropical disturbance that threatens to move into the Gulf of Mexico, worried it could wreak havoc on areas of his state that are recovering from recent flooding, The Associated Press reports. The governor says FEMA and state agencies walked through scenarios last week. The exercise was aimed at preparing response plans in case a hurricane hits Louisiana while thousands of people are displaced and debris is piled up for miles around neighborhoods.
