Emergency declarations for Louisiana and Texas amended by President Trump

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRPROUD) – FEMA has made emergency aid available to Louisiana since this past weekend.

Now that Hurricane Laura is bearing down on the Louisiana-Texas border, President Trump has amended the emergency declarations.

Details about the changes can be found below:

President Donald J. Trump amended the emergency declarations for Louisiana and Texas. The President’s action expands the declarations to cover emergency protective response actions that state, local and tribal officials take in the areas affected by Hurricanes Laura and Marco beginning Aug. 22, 2020 and continuing.

In Louisiana, Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes, are eligible for reimbursement for eligible emergency protective measures (Category B). These parishes were previously limited to direct federal assistance, and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support.

In Texas, Aransas, Bexar, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Liberty, Matagorda, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria and Willacy counties are also now eligible for reimbursement for eligible emergency protective measures (Category B). These counties were previously limited to direct federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support.

The President’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.