>>MELANIE LAWSON: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. ONE YEAR AGO TODAY WILL NEVER FORGET
HURRICANE IDA, THE SECOND MOST
POWERFUL HURRICANE TO EVER HIT
LOUISIANA SLAMMED INTO THE
STATE. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE
BECAUSE IT HAPPENED ON THE
VERY SAME DAY AS THE MOST
DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE TO EVER
HIT THE U.S. HURRICANE
KATRINA, WHICH WAS IN 2005,
LOUISIANA IS STILL REBUILDING.
IT’S HONESTLY WILL PROBABLY
NEVER BE THE SAME. NOW,
DESPITE THE BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS IN DESTRUCTION, NEW
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS ARE
POPPING UP ALL ALONG THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER, WHICH IS
GREAT NEWS. SO JAY ROBICHEAUX
WITH LOUISIANA’S RIVER
PARISHES, TOURIST COMMISSION
IS JOINING ME NOW AND WELCOME.
AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, I’M A
LOUISIANA LOVER EVER IN BITES
ON. IS BEFORE. I MEAN, IT’S
JUST ABOUT WHOLE PLACE. YOU
KNOW, ONE YEAR LATER, TELL US
HOW PEOPLE HOW BUSINESSES, HOW
ARE THEY WERE COVERING.
>> JOE? WELL, GOOD MORNING,
MELANIE, AND GOOD MORNING,
JACKSONVILLE. SO I WANT TO
WELCOME YOU ALL FROM
LOUISIANA’S RIVER PARISHES.
AND JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS THE
RIVER PARISHES ARE LOCATED
BETWEEN BATON ROUGE AND NEW
ORLEANS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER. AND YES, ARE RECOVERING
AND WE DID GET DEVASTATION
DEVASTATED. HURRICANE. WE DID
HAVE A ON THE CHIN. PRETTY
GOOD. BUT WE ARE RECOVERING.
>> YEAH, I HAVE TO SAY PEOPLE
IN LOUISIANA, YOU GUYS HAVE A
CERTAIN LEVEL OF GRIT TO YOU
AT A CERTAIN LEVEL OF
ENDURANCE. YOU COME TOGETHER
IN TIMES OF NEED. SO WHAT
TYPES OF NEW TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS AND EXPERIENCES
ARE IN THE WORKS FOR THE NEAR
FUTURE DOWN THERE.
>> SHE ALSO WERE CONSENTED.
SPORTSMAN’S PARADISE. WE HAVE
SOME INCREDIBLE OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES. YOU CAN COME HERE
AND YOU CAN. YOU CAN FISH RED
FISH. YOU CAN FISH CATFISH.
YOU CAN GO ON AND TOURS. JUST
THIS IS YOU CAN AND IN
FLORIDA. BUT WE WE GET UP
CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH ARE
ALLIGATORS. WE HAVE LOTS, LOTS
OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. WE WE
DO FEED YOUR SOUL. WE ARE THE
BEST FOOD THAT YOU’RE EVER
GOING TO EAT IN THE IN THE
COUNTRY. WE WE CREATE
SOMETHING CALLED ON DEWEY
SAUSAGE, WHICH IS A GERMAN
SAUSAGE WITH FRENCH CAJUN
FRENCH INFLUENCE. AND WE HAVE
SOMETHING CALLED THE UNDERAGE
TRAIL WHICH ACTUALLY SHOWCASES
ALL OF THE FACILITIES THAT
THAT HAVE ON DO IT. WE ALSO
HAVE THAT WE CREATE BONFIRES
FOR 3 OVER 300 YEARS HERE IN
PARISHES. WE HAVE ABOUT 201
FIRES FOR CHRISTMAS EVE THAT
ARE LIT ALL AT ONE TIME TO
WELCOME PAPA NOEL. IT’S ALL
THE CHILDREN IN THE RIVER
PARISHES.
>> YOU KNOW, THE CULTURE IS SO
DEEP SO SO MANY THINGS YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT, YOU IS COMING.
YOU GET EXPOSED TO IT. WHERE
SHIP? WHERE PEOPLE GO TO
EXPERIENCE THIS? WHAT? YOU
KNOW, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU
KNOW, BUT I’M THINKING WHAT
AIRPORT YOU FLY INTO WHERE YOU
STAYING. SO.
>> SO YOU’RE FLYING TO NEW
ORLEANS AIRPORT. YOU DRIVE
APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES TO
THE WEST TOWARDS BATON ROUGE.
WE HAVE A TURN LEFT MENTALITY
BECAUSE EVERYONE WANTS TO FLY
INTO THE AIRPORT IN TURN RIGHT
INTO NEW ORLEANS. YES, WE WANT
TO TURN LEFT AND COME INTO THE
PARISHES. SO YOU CAN COME
VISIT A PLACE. I’M STANDING
NOW. IT’S A ZIP LINE THAT THAT
COAST OVER OUR SWAMP HERE
LOUISIANA. AND YOU CAN SEE
ALLIGATORS. YOU CAN SEE
CYPRESS TREES. YOU SEE THE
BEAUTY OF OUR STRONGEST.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: I THINK
THAT’S SO COOL. YOU KNOW, YOU
THINK ABOUT OTHER IN THE RIVER
PARISHES. IT STILL HAS A LONG
WAY TO GO AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
LISTENING TO THIS. I MEAN, I
JUST PRAY YOU GUYS ARE NOT
GOING TO HAVE ANY PROBLEMS
THIS HURRICANE SEASON, BUT
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP YOU ALL
CONTINUE TO GET BACK ON YOUR
FEET.
>> SO WE’D LOVE FOR YOU TO
COME. VISIT. WE’D LIKE FOR YOU
TO GO TO LA RIVER PARISHES DOT
COM. THAT’S LA RIVER PARISHES
DOT COM AND SEE EVERYTHING
THAT WE OFFER HERE IN THE
RIVER PARISHES. REMEMBER OUR
BEERS COLE? OUR GUMBO IS HOT.
>> I’VE HAD IT ALL. SO YOU ARE
YEAH. GO AHEAD, PLEASE. AND
MELANIE, THANK ALI, THANK YOU
SO MUCH.
>> YOU ARE CORRECT ABOUT THE
BIKE THE BIKE PATH. WE HAVE AN
AMAZING BIKE PATH THAT RUNS
FROM NEW ORLEANS ALL THE WAY
THROUGH THE RIVER PARISHES
THAT YOU GET TO SEE THE VIEWS
OF THE RIVER. IT’S A 50 MILE
RODGERS. PRETTY PRETTY GOOD.
I’M GLAD YOU MENTIONED IT’S
IT’S BEAUTIFUL. I MEAN, I
THINK I HAD ONE OF MY BEST
AREAS AND ONE OF THOSE LITTLE
TOWNS ON THE WHICH IS TO YOU
YOU TO REBUILD.
>> AND TO JUST CONTINUE THAT