Louisiana's representatives have announced additional funding for Louisiana when it comes to recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020.
According to Senators Bill Cassidy, John Kennedy and Congressman Clay Higgins, the $594 Million in funding was secured last month in a bill recently signed into law. Gov. Edwards says the funds are part of a $5 billion supplemental disaster appropriation passed by Congress in September that includes money for all disasters that occurred nationwide in 2020 and 2021. It also includes a "down payment" for Hurricane Ida; that money has not yet been allocated, but is expected soon, Edwards says.
Gov. Edwards says the Department of Housing and Urban Development will send the Louisiana Office of Community Development $594,931,000 in Community Development Block Grants for Hurricane Laura disaster recovery.
The funds are part of a continuing resolution to fund the government until December 3rd, 2021.
"It has been over a year since Louisiana was hammered by Hurricane Laura and this relief has taken far too long," said Dr. Cassidy. "This funding is a welcome first step, but there is more work to be done to return southwest Louisiana to wholeness."
Sen. Kennedy says that he advocated for the inclusion of the disaster relief for Louisiana in the bill.
"Louisianians are still reeling from the damage left by Laura and Delta. We need a helping hand as we rebuild, and I am pleased to see this $594.9 million that Congress set aside for Louisiana's recovery efforts come to our state," said Kennedy.
Congressman Higgins also announced the funding and says he has called for additional support in subsequent allocation rounds and is proactively working with state and local officials to influence HUD's rule-making process and allocation determinations.
"This initial allocation of $595 million is welcome news for South Louisiana. We continue to push for additional resources and priority consideration of Community Development Block Grant funding for Louisiana. Additional support is necessary in response to the 2020 hurricanes, and we're working with our state and local officials to ensure that much more of the $5 billion topline will go toward Louisiana's 2020 storm season disaster recovery."
At his Tuesday press conference, Edwards says that the state is thankful for the funding but the money is "not in our view, sufficient for recovery."
“This is a step in the right direction and we are thankful to our congressional delegation for their help in securing this funding,” Gov. Edwards adds. “However, we don’t think the allocation for Hurricanes Laura and Delta is adequate for a full, sustainable recovery of Southwest Louisiana and the other impacted areas of the state, especially when it comes to housing. We will continue to work with our delegation and the White House to get the additional money we need.”
Edwards says that while the announcement has been made, money has not been provided to the state yet. Louisiana has to wait for a federal register notice and then they will be able to send in an action plan for the approval of the funds.
“HUD has not yet published the rules that govern this allocation, but as soon as they do we will submit our plan for investing these funds into recovery from the hurricanes that devastated our state more than a year ago,” Gov. Edwards states. “We have been working with the communities in Southwest Louisiana for months now to develop a recovery plan that will put these funds to use quickly and effectively.”
The money is only for Laura and Delta recovery. Edwards says that the state will be back in December to make the case for Hurricane Ida recovery.
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