Former Southeastern Channel news anchor-reporter Erika Ferrando, currently General Assignment News Reporter for WWL-TV Ch. 4 (CBS) in New Orleans (DMA 50), recently covered the 2020 storm season for her WWL viewing audience throughout southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Her stories included preparation for rivers rising from Hurricane Sally, damage in Gulf Shores inflicted by Sally, power questions before Hurricane Delta, damage in Lake Charles from Hurricane Laura, the Lake Charles mayor wanting to rebuild after Laura, damage lingering one month after Laura; New Orleans sheltering evacuees from Laura, and the North Shore taking Lake Charles evacuees. Ferrando recently won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for her feature story, “A Walking Miracle“. She has won top awards given by the Associated Press Broadcasters and Media Editors, winning two 2019 awards in the Louisiana-Mississippi division for general news and feature stories. Prior to joining WWL, Ferrando was a reporter for KTHV-TV Ch. 11 (CBS) in Little Rock, Ark. (DMA 57) where she was honored by the AP as “Best Solo Journalist” and by the Emmys with a nomination in the Mid-American Region of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. A former news reporter, anchor, and producer for the Southeastern Channel’s student newscast, “Northshore News”, Ferrando graduated from Southeastern in 2014 when she was named the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters’ first-ever “Louisiana Student Broadcaster of the Year.” out of all college TV and radio students in the state. At the Southeastern Channel, Ferrando won “Best in the South” recognition for news reporting from the Southeast Journalism Conference (eight states) and Mark of Excellence Awards Awards for news reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists. A Mandeville native, Ferrando’s first job after graduation was as a news reporter for KPLC-TV (NBC) Ch. 7 in Lake Charles, La. (DMA 172).