Scalise Urges FEMA to Include St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes in Disaster Declaration

Metairie -- Congressman Steve Scalise today sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator David Paulison asking that they include St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes in the disaster declaration that was made.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to 34 parishes including Jefferson, Orleans and St. Charles.

“As I have been visiting the impacted areas, it is clear that we have a lot of work to do in all six parishes of the First Congressional District as we recovery from Hurricane Gustav,” Scalise said. “I am urging FEMA and the White House to include St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington Parishes in the major disaster declaration, along with Jefferson, Orleans, and St. Charles which are already included. Gustav caused widespread damage, and St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes are facing the same level of recovery and rebuilding challenges that the rest of Southeast Louisiana is facing. These three parishes need to be included in the major disaster declaration.”

FEMA has made grants available to 34 Louisiana Parishes to help pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance. Federal funding also is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal in the same parishes.

Below is a copy of Congressman Scalise’s letter to Administrator Paulison.

September 3, 2008

Administrator David Paulison
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20472

Dear Administrator Paulison:

I am writing to request inclusion of St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes in the federal Major Disaster declaration for Hurricane Gustav for individual assistance and public assistance, as requested by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. The magnitude of Hurricane Gustav caused significant damage in these three parishes. The local governments and residents in these parishes are unable to fully respond and recover without immediate federal assistance.

Your timely response to both the preliminary emergency declaration and the Major Disaster declaration is very much appreciated. However, the parishes north of Lake Ponchartrain – St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington – sustained major damage but were not included in your major disaster declaration announced yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of people in these parishes were under mandatory evacuation orders and preliminary estimates indicate that over 100,000 households and small businesses in these three parishes are still without electricity due to wind damage caused by Hurricane Gustav. All of Southeast Louisiana has suffered extensive damage to the electrical grid, and it is likely that these three parishes will continue to experience major power outages for up to three weeks.

In the coming days, these parishes will face many challenges as residents return home and as local governments begin the debris removal and infrastructure repair process. It is imperative that the Major Disaster declaration be amended to include St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes for both individual assistance and public assistance Category A.

My office will be happy to get you any additional information you may need. Thank you for your prompt attention to this request, and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Steve Scalise
Member of Congress

cc: President George W. Bush
Governor Bobby Jindal
Parish President Kevin Davis
Parish President Gordon Burgess
Parish President Richard Thomas

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Contact: Luke Bolar
202-226-4309