BATON ROUGE — President Biden Friday afternoon approved a federal emergency declaration requested by Gov. John Bel Edwards ahead of now-Hurricane Ida.
A release states:
"Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Ida beginning on August 26, 2021, and continuing.
The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 64 Louisiana parishes.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding."
Late Thursday evening, Gov. John Bel Edwards requested a pre-landfall Federal Declaration of Emergency in a letter to President Joseph R. Biden in advance of Tropical Storm Ida, which is forecast to make landfall in Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane late Sunday evening or Monday morning, according to a release from the Governor's Office.
On Thursday, Gov. Edwards declared a state of emergency for Tropical Storm Ida, allowing the state to begin its preparations and to assist local governments as they respond. Already 12 parishes have declared states of emergency and more are anticipated to do so.
“Unfortunately, Louisiana is forecast to get a direct, strong hit from Tropical Storm Ida, which could make landfall as a major hurricane, a category 3, which is compounded by our current fourth surge of COVID-19. This is an incredibly challenging time for our state,” Gov. Edwards said. “The time for the people of Louisiana to prepare for this strong storm is now, as portions of our state will begin seeing impacts of this storm early Sunday morning, or even late Saturday evening. The next 24 hours are incredibly critical for the state, and a statewide federal emergency declaration will go a long way in helping us respond to Ida.”
- Click here to read Gov. Edwards’ letter to the President.
- Yesterday, Gov. Edwards declared a state of emergency in advance of Tropical Storm Ida. Click here to read that declaration.
The Governor’s office will share updates about Tropical Storm Ida through its texting system. People may opt-in by texting IDA to 67283 and sign up for phone calls by going to Smart911.
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