Governor John Bel Edwards meets with the entire Louisiana congressional delegation today, discussing the need for a supplemental federal appropriations bill for flood recovery.
It’s something state lawmakers are anxious about, as well. Late last week, a state Senate committee quizzed FEMA Regional Director Jerry Stollar about the growing damage assessments from the 20 parishes included in the disaster declaration..
“We’ve completed nine parishes, and estimates so far indicate that more than 166-thousand structures were affected by this flooding,” Stollar said.
West Monroe Senator Mike Walsworth, whose region was hit by flooding earlier this year, asked Stollar about the trigger for changing the federal/state cost share from 75/25 to 90/10.
“Is there a threshold for that amount?”
“What we’re looking at right now is $622-million,” Stollar replied, “But we’re certainly not there yet.”
Walsworth was also curious about another potential stream of federal aid.
“It doesn’t look like there’s a lot of hazard mitigation funds out there. Are you looking at more of those dollars after this flood, too?” the senator from northeast Louisiana inquired.
“There will be some significant hazard mitigation funds if we get anywhere near that threshold I cited for the 90-10,” Stollar assured committee members.
Governor Edwards has already asked the President for the maximum relief available, and it appears Obama’s cabinet is co-operating with that request. U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro confirmed Congress is already expecting an aid package for Louisiana.
“I don’t want to make an official statement for the entire administration,” Castro said, while he was in Baton Rouge last week. “I only want to let you know what we’re doing. HUD is already actively providing technical assistance to the appropriations staff that have inquired about putting together a legislative package.”
Some political observers say it won’t be an easy sell. First, it’s an election year. In addition, three members of the Louisiana congressional delegation voted against Superstorm Sandy aid: U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, Congressman John Fleming, and Congressman Steve Scalise. Scalise, as the House Majority Whip, is expected to carry any bill seeking more federal help for Louisiana.
But U.S. Senator David Vitter, who helped move the money for Sandy aid, dismisses those concerns.
“I think when there is a disaster, Congress—whoever the majority is – come together and respond in a responsible way,” Vitter said. “So I don’t foresee that difficulty.”