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Louisiana to Receive Additional $450 Million for Recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards joined U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge on March 22, 2022, to announce that as part of the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, Louisiana will receive an additional allocation of $450 million for recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta and $1.27 billion for Hurricane Ida.

When combined with HUD’s initial allocation of $600 million for Hurricanes Laura and Delta last year, the total amount of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery money available for recovery from these storms exceeds $1 billion.

“I contacted Secretary Fudge to personally thank her for this significant allocation that should provide Louisiana with an opportunity to implement a more effective, albeit late, recovery from Hurricanes Laura and Delta,” Louisiana Governor Edwards said. “I’m grateful to the Biden-Harris administration for their commitment to helping our communities and those around the nation recover from the impacts of these devastating storms. In addition, Louisiana will receive $1.27 billion for recovery from Hurricane Ida and other 2021 disasters. However, the need is much greater, which everyone we have spoken with in Washington acknowledges. We will continue working to secure that additional funding.”

“This is tremendous news for Calcasieu Parish,” said Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President Tony Stelly. “This desperately needed funding finally brings us to a fair and equitable level of federal recovery dollars. On behalf of the Police Jury and the residents of Calcasieu Parish, we thank everyone who worked so hard to make this happen.”

The funds are part of a $5 billion supplemental disaster appropriation passed by Congress in September 2021, which includes money for all disasters in the United States in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, Louisiana was hit by five named storms, breaking the state’s record for the most strikes in a single season.

This follows an announcement by Vice President Kamala Harris and Congressman Troy Carter that $60 million will be allocated to Louisiana and three other states impacted by Hurricane Ida through the new Flood Mitigation Swift Current Grant Initiative made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Louisiana will receive the lion’s share of the allocation, $40 million, to assist survivors. The goal is to expedite flood mitigation grants to residents who have either significantly damaged structures or properties that have been repeatedly flooded and are insured through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The remaining funds will be shared by three other states: Mississippi ($5 million), New Jersey ($10 million), and Pennsylvania ($5 million).

This will be the first initiative funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to strengthen national preparedness and resilience.

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