EDITORIAL: Recovery from Laura and other storms still needing bigger federal boost

May 27—It's not every day that a mayor of a medium-sized city in Louisiana hears the words, "Hold for the President." But that happened to Nic Hunter, mayor of Lake Charles, where President Joe Biden had visited to call for investment in both hurricane recovery and long-term infrastructure investment.

The president's call reiterated his previous public commitment to the region's recovery.

We welcome the president's concerns about southwestern Louisiana's difficult path since devastating back-to-back hurricanes in 2020. We also cannot object to his proposal, as a new hurricane season looms, that the U.S. government spend more toward preparing ahead of time for disaster response.

This is Louisiana. We understand that for many storms, there is only so much that preparation can do. When Hurricane Laura slammed southwestern Louisiana with near-record winds, preparation was of value but was not sufficient.

Louisiana's delegation in Congress is working to see Biden's concerns translated into legislation — and money — for our disaster recovery. That is the kind of reaction our state needs from Washington.

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