Governor John Bel Edwards is asking President Obama to reconsider lessening the state’s share of disaster response for the March flooding event. Currently, Louisiana must pay 25% of the cost rather than the requested 10%. Deputy Director of Recovery for the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Mark Riley,

“In order for FEMA to authorize the 10%, the state of Louisiana has to demonstrate public assistance cost in the $620 million range, we’re several hundred million dollars short of that.”

But Riley says this is a genuine request and they want the Obama administration to consider the March and August flooding as one event, because they are related and caused significant economic hardship.

“The August floods have certainly impacted our ability, at the state and local level, to properly respond to the needs caused by the March event.”

GOHSEP says if FEMA were to lessen Louisiana’s costs for the March flooding it would save the state about $28-million. Riley says it’s a very long, bureaucratic process and they might not have results of the reconsideration for a while.

“We’ll see. I’m hoping that the Congressional delegation stays involved and we can get some open minded consideration of the request.”

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