In northwest Louisiana, inmates fill sandbags for Isaac
Jeremy Hobson: And we’ll start with Isaac, which is back to tropical storm status this morning with top sustained winds around 45 miles per hour. But it’s very slow moving as it continues to dump rain on the state of Louisiana.
Residents in the northwest part of the state are preparing homes and businesses for potential flooding. And area hotels are full as the people of south Louisiana wait out the storm.
Kate Archer Kent of Red River Radio reports.
Kate Archer Kent: A diesel engine powers a sandbag filling machine in the small town of Benton, Louisiana. Prison inmates from the Bossier Parish correctional facility have stockpiled 15,000 sandbags that are provided free to local residents.
Ronnie Andrews is the parish’s public works director. He doesn’t think the sandbags will be necessary, but he says it doesn’t hurt to be over-prepared.
Ronnie Andrews: If we need to we’ll work around the clock. If not, we’ll regroup the next day. But I don’t think that’s it’s going to hurt us too bad as dry as it’s been around here.
Each car can take up to 25 sandbags for free. And those prison inmates who fill the sandbags, by the way, they don’t get paid for their labor.
In Benton, Louisiana, I’m Kate Archer Kent for Marketplace.
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