Before Clinton and President Barack Obama announced their trips, critics accused them of ignoring the flooding disaster – which left 13 dead and over 40,000 displaced from their homes – and contrasted their response with Trump’s quick decision to make a trip to Louisiana.
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“I’ve got to say that was rather an odd thing”, a CNN reporter said at the time, “to be watching the President finally making it to the Gulf Coast after five days, and then spending a big chunk of time when he could be out seeing the devastation getting a briefing”. “FEMA will pay 75 cents on the dollar, or 75 percent of Louisiana’s disaster recovery costs”, FEMA spokeswoman Robin Smith, speaking from Baton Rouge, said last week.
The havoc created by Louisiana’s recent flooding is going to exacerbate a problem that has plagued the Baton Rouge metro area long that persisted long before the catastrophic weather: An acute lack of housing inventory.
“Volunteers from here in New Jersey are proudly serving alongside local volunteers in Louisiana where they continue to provide help and hope to families who have lost their homes due to unprecedented flooding”, said Ana Montero, regional CEO, American Red Cross New Jersey Region. Our primary goal is the safety of the people we are serving – and we will continue to make decisions that ensure people staying in Red Cross shelters are receiving the utmost care and support in a safe environment. It is time to show them that it was not in vain. More than 60,000 homes are believed to have been damaged by flooding. There’s almost 1,000 people in the shelter now.
“If food donations don’t come from a verified source, the health department may say: It’s okay for workers and volunteers to consume it, but our guidance is not to share with shelter residents”, Heitman said. “A lot of people did not have flood insurance”. A spokesman for the office said they were addressing the issues and would reevaluate the state’s partnership with the organization in the future. “People will move out of the areas that were just flooded”. Over that period, Baton Rouge received more than 19 inches of rain. “The scope of this disaster is vast and it is the worst natural disaster to hit the United States since Superstorm Sandy”.
Gov. Edwards said 1,000 pets have also been rescued.
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More than 106,000 individuals and households have registered with FEMA for assistance as survivors are in need of temporary rental help, essential home repairs and other disaster-related needs.
