“But what I want the people of Louisiana to know is you are not alone, even after the TV cameras leave”, he said, adding “I know how resilient the people of Louisiana are and I know that you will rebuild again”.
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The president walked past mattresses, appliances and heaps of clothing tossed to the curb in a middle-class neighborhood in East Baton Rouge Parish, where few homes were spared from late-summer storms that killed at least 13 people in the region and displaced thousands.
Obama said that he doesn’t “worry too much about politics” and that he is focused on improving the speed and efficiency of the federal response.
“Honestly, Obama ought to get off the golf course and get down there”, Trump said.
Obama has been criticized for waiting until after he returned from his New England vacation to tour the Gulf Coast flooding. But the editorial board praised his decision to come Tuesday.
Obama declared a major disaster for Louisiana on August 14, making federal resources available to help with home repairs, temporary housing, low-priced loans for uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover.
Trump’s visit was well-received by local officials, and for a moment it gave Trump a chance to reveal a presidential timber that he insists he has.
However, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards had requested that White House officials delay the president’s trip in order to avoid diverting the state’s resources away from disaster response.
Of Central’s 27,000 residents, Shelton said 25,000 of them were affected by the flooding.
“It’s not a flood zone”, said Robins, a 27-year-old Navy veteran. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has said she will visit the state later, in an implicit criticism of Trump.
“Yes, sir. And she balled, crying”, Dwyer said. FEMA announced Tuesday the approval of approximately $127 million for for flood survivors. “I am committed to visiting communities affected by these floods, at a time when the presence of a political campaign will not disrupt the response, to discuss how we can and will rebuild together”.
The president met the family of the families of the Baton Rouge police officers killed and Alton Sterling.
Gavin Long, the gunman, was shot dead at the scene. Volunteers across almost half of the state of Louisiana are helping thousands of people who have lost everything they own but the organization reports a significant gap in funds raised. Access to flood insurance is important not only to Louisiana, but communities across America that could easily be surprised by a flood of their own.
The flood, which left 76 cm of rain over parts of Louisiana, is the worst natural disaster to hit the state since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Residents such as Denham Springs’ Todd Krichel are still grappling with the scale of the destruction.
“The need doesn’t stop, but the need has gotten so much greater because so many people have lost so much”, Manning said. “And I pulled down there and it was pretty tough to swallow”.
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However, Obama retaliated and said, “Let me just remind folks”. “I’m just glad he’s here”, Nungesser told MSNBC in an interview.
