Louisiana
Amazon opens Louisiana’s first same-day delivery site in Elmwood near New Orleans
Amazon opened its doors Monday to its first same-day delivery site in Louisiana, located on Mounes Street near Dickory Avenue in Elmwood.
The new 150,000-square-foot facility will allow the retail giant to fulfill, sort and deliver thousands of same-day orders in the greater New Orleans area using advanced robotics and over 80 employees and counting, the company said.
The new site is one in a larger venture to double the number of same-day delivery sites nationwide, which now includes over 140 U.S. locations.
“We’re proud to create quality jobs while bringing a new level of convenience to New Orleans residents, and we look forward to growing alongside this incredible city,” site leader Stephen Grant said in a statement.
The facility, estimated last year to cost $30 million, plans to use several hundred drivers per day, each transporting up to 50 packages. The company agreed last year to stagger its peak hours between 1-3 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. to minimize traffic impact, with no more than 60 drivers working at one time.
The company is still hiring new workers at the Elmwood location to distribute more than 38,000 items sold through the facility.
Amazon purchased the property outside of Harahan in 2021, originally to serve as an offsite parking lot to its pre-existing local operations before pivoting to the new same-day delivery site, representatives told the Jefferson Parish Council in a zoning hearing last year.
“Amazon’s continued investment, expansion, and job creation in Jefferson Parish is a true testament to the success of their existing facility and their vision for the future of the area,” Jerry Bologna, executive director for the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, said in a statement.
The new Amazon site comes weeks after the company opened another $40 million delivery center on the northshore in Slidell, which fulfills next day and two-day deliveries.
Across Louisiana, Amazon has four fulfillment and sortation centers, six delivery station locations, seven Whole Food markets and two solar farms, according to regional spokesperson Daniel Martin.
Since 2010, the company has invested over over $3 billion and created over 6,000 jobs in Louisiana, according to Martin.
Louisiana ranks among the top 10 most affordable states to retire, according to a new study from Retirement Living, a national journal of retirement research.
Researchers analyzed each state’s housing costs, living expenses and tax friendliness to compile the ranking. Louisiana, they say, is the eighth most affordable state for retirees.
In Louisiana, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $932, the median home sale price is $255,000, monthly grocery spend per capita is $272, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $4, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium is $13.35 and the average effective property tax rate is 0.55%.
West Virginia is the most affordable state to retire, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Indiana and Kansas. Researchers describe the South as “the sweet spot for an affordable retirement.”
The most expensive state to retire, meanwhile, is California, followed by Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Minnesota.
Read Retirement Living’s full report here.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – With hurricane season approaching, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is bringing the community together to prepare before a storm forms.
“We can’t stop disasters from happening. We can’t stop hurricanes from happening. But what we can do is equip our communities with the resources that they need to prepare for these storms ahead of time,” said Jayda Morris, CPRA outreach manager.
The agency hosted an event featuring interactive storm simulations and a full model of the Mississippi River.
“If you do it now, like on a sunny day like today, you’re ready to go for the rest of the season,” Jay Grymes said.
El Niño may reduce storms, but Louisiana still at risk
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said an El Niño pattern may reduce the number of storms in the Atlantic but warned against a false sense of security.
“In those 25 years, Louisiana, some part of the state has been impacted by 29 storms. That’s one a year, regardless of El Niño. So that should tell you something,” Grymes said.
He said the bigger concern is storms that can form in the Gulf with little warning.
“If we’re going to get a storm, it very possibly could be one that bubbles up in the Gulf and doesn’t give us five or seven days to track it coming our way. It gives us 40 hours to get ready for a landfall. So it’s imperative that you go ahead and do it now,” Grymes said.
Preparation goes beyond stocking water
Preparing now includes walking through yards, checking trees, and knowing whether everyone in the family can survive two weeks without power.
PhD students with the LSU College of the Coast and Environment gave the community a virtual reality experience that puts users inside a storm.
“If they wear the goggles or play with the Apple Vision Pro, they can understand how high will the flood be, and they can know how dangerous is the hurricane scenario,” said Yixuan Wang.
The VR simulation uses real historical data to show users what compound flooding looks like in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The goal is to make the science real for people who can’t picture what a flood map means.
“It’s just to let you understand the environment. We will add the audios, the different sound of the wind and the storm. And you can see how tense of the rainfall around you,” Wang said.
Organizers said the event is about making sure that when a storm threatens the area, families already know their plan.
Information from the event is available on CPRA’s website. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
Click here to report a typo. Please include the headline.
Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana homeowners can get financial help to upgrade their roofs and ensure they can better stand up to strong storms.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, registration for next Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1. The registration period will stay open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Under the latest round of the program, 3,000 grants of up to $10,000 will go out. After applying, homeowners will get placed into a lottery and will be randomly selected.
There are many specific benefits of having a roof upgraded through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program. Officials said the roofs have stronger shingles that can protect against hail up to two inches wide, sealed roof decks to help prevent water damage, and stronger edges to keep wind from getting underneath.
Homeowners with a fortified roof can also get a certificate to receive a discount on insurance premiums.
“At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs,” said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.”
Only people living in Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Assumption Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Iberia Parish, Jefferson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Vermilion Parish are eligible to apply for the latest round of the program.
People living in a newly built home, mobile home, or condominium are not qualified.
For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, click here.
If a person registered for the program previously, he or she must do so again. The person will also need to provide the following information:
- A homestead exemption on the primary residence.
- A policy of insurance that provides wind coverage for the primary residence.
- A flood insurance policy on the primary residence if it is in a special flood hazard area.
For more information about applying, click here.
Click here to report a typo. Please include the headline.
Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.
-
Maine2 minutes ago‘Malicious gossip’: Wife of Senate candidate Graham Platner responds to texting claims
-
Maryland7 minutes agoYour Voice Your Future | Town Hall
-
Michigan14 minutes agoFifth Third Bank to close 75 Michigan branches, including former Comerica locations
-
Massachusetts16 minutes agoWinners’ circle: Tracking every 2026 spring high school championship – The Boston Globe
-
Minnesota22 minutes agoMinnesota Medicaid crisis: Thousands of care providers cut off from funding after state revalidation deadline
-
Mississippi29 minutes agoMississippi LB Devontray Brewer committed to Stanford and broke down his decision
-
Missouri32 minutes agoKansas City, Missouri, police investigating Monday evening homicide near 12th, Askew
-
Montana37 minutes agoWeather Wise: A rare storm for Montana
