Cassidy Tours Hurricane Damage in St. Tammany and Livingston Parishes

09.02.21

BATON ROUGE - Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) toured hurricane damage in St. Tammany and Livingston Parishes. He also met with local officials to determine their needs in the aftermath of Ida, the fifth-most powerful storm ever to hit the United States.

This follows Cassidy's renewed demand for Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) supplemental assistance for damages sustained from Hurricanes Laura and Delta last year, as well as for Hurricane Ida.

'Louisiana should not have to worry about recovery from Hurricane Ida,' said Dr. Cassidy. 'Recovery begins with supplemental disaster aid. It includes passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This act will create a more resilient electric grid and reduce flood risk throughout Louisiana.'

In St. Tammany Parish, Cassidy met with Parish President Mike Cooper and other local officials. He later went on a guided tour by President Cooper of hurricane damage in in the parish.

Cassidy also toured damage in Livingston and French Settlement, where he met individually with Mayors J.T. Taylor and Haley Unbehagen, and discussed steps they're taking to rebuild their communities.

Additionally, Cassidy continues to support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which would reduce the likelihood of flooding in future storms by funding flood mitigation projects.

Background
In January of 2021, Louisiana requested $3 billion to meet unmet recovery needs after Hurricane Laura. Cassidy and Louisiana's Congressional Delegation have previously called on the White House and Congress to support disaster relief for southwest Louisiana and continue to press their colleagues to approve the measure. Cassidy will work to prevent similar delays for relief from Hurricane Ida.

On Sunday, Senators Cassidy and John Kennedy (R-LA), and U.S. Representatives Steve Scalise (R-LA-01), Garret Graves (R-LA-06), Mike Johnson (R-LA-04), Clay Higgins (R-LA-03), Julia Letlow (R-LA-05) and Troy Carter (D-LA-02) urged President Joe Biden to grant a major disaster declaration for Louisiana following Hurricane Ida. Following the letter, the major disaster declaration was approved, which unlocks federal disaster relief for Louisiana to begin its recovery. Given the level of damage from Hurricane Ida, supplemental disaster assistance will assuredly be needed.

Cassidy helped write the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan legislation by a vote of 69-30. The legislation will create tens of thousands of jobs, and includes $110 billion for roads and highways, $47 billion for resiliency and $65 billion for broadband, among other funds. This will help Louisiana improve evacuation routes, reduce flood risk, restore the coast and increase access to high-speed broadband Internet.

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