La. Gov. Edwards: President Trump Approves Request for 2019 Flood Fight Major Disaster Declaration

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, Sept. 20 -- Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana, issued the following news:

Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that President Donald J. Trump has declared a major disaster for the State of Louisiana because of historic flooding that occurred along the Mississippi River and its tributaries earlier this year. Gov. Edwards made the request to allow the federal government to supplement the flood fight costs for state and local agencies along with damage incurred to public infrastructure.

Gov. Edwards said, "The Mississippi River remained above flood stage for the longest period in recorded history. I appreciate President Trump recognizing the protective measures and assistance needed by the state and our local partners while dealing with these historic conditions. Our local levee districts and parishes have incurred great costs for patrols and temporary repair efforts, and state agencies took extraordinary measures to protect the public. While the incident period approved differs somewhat from my request, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) will continue to work with FEMA on this issue."

The disaster declaration approval covers Public Assistance Categories A-G: debris removal, emergency protective measures and permanent work on infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water control facilities, buildings, equipment, utilities and parks. It includes Assumption, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Iberville, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, St. Martin, Terrebonne and West Feliciana Parishes.

Note: St. Mary Parish was approved in a previous declaration.

When Gov. Edwards declared a state of emergency for Louisiana effective February 26, 2019, he directed the execution of the State Emergency Plan. At that point, state assets coordinated with and supplemented local assets for preserving public health and safety, as well as improved property. Those emergency protective measures continued well into the summer.

DESIGNATIONS AND TYPES OF ASSISTANCE APPROVED:

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE (Assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities):

Assumption, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Iberville, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, St. Martin, Terrebonne and West Feliciana Parishes.

HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM (Assistance for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards):

All areas in the State of Louisiana are eligible for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

OTHER: Additional parishes may be added later if requested by the state and if warranted by the results of further damage assessments.