Biden Declares Major Disaster in Louisiana after Ice Storm

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — President Joe Biden has issued a major disaster declaration for Louisiana because of last month’s icy weather.

The move announced Tuesday frees up federal recovery assistance for certain parishes. The winter storms knocked out power and water across parts of Louisiana for up to a week. Biden’s disaster declaration covers Feb. 11 through 19. Federal aid will be available across 23 parishes. It includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans for property losses and other assistance for individuals and businesses.

Other dollars will be available to state and local government agencies for their emergency response work and other mitigation measures.