Louisiana members call for more federal help to deal with Isaac

Members of the House and Senate from Louisiana were continuing their call this week for increased federal aid to deal with flooding and other damage caused by Tropical Storm Isaac.

In a statement Thursday, Rep. Jeff Landry (R-La.) noted new federal disaster declarations for 13 Louisiana counties, which he said he hopes is a sign of further help from the federal government.

"I hope this is an indication that the President will quickly approve forthcoming assistance requests for the millions of Louisiana residents who have been impacted by this storm," Landry said. "As we have done before and during the storm, my office will continue to work with local and state officials and give them any support we can provide."

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said Wednesday that the storm was hovering over the state and dumping flooding rains. She said the good news is that the federal levee system was not breached — those are the levees built in the wake of Hurricane Katrina seven years ago.

"Unfortunately, that's not been the case for low-lying areas outside the federal system, in particular lower Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes," she said. "It's heartbreaking to watch people climb out of their attics and onto their roofs in search of safety."

Rep. Charles Boustany Jr. (R-La.) said he spent Wednesday with local first-responders, and called on everyone to stay updated about the track of the storm.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) on Wednesday asked President Obama to fully fund federal disaster aid in his state. "Given the ongoing damages, I would again support the state’s request and urge FEMA to authorize Category B emergency protective measures at a complete 100 percent instead of the current 75 percent ceiling you approved on Monday," Vitter wrote to Obama on Wednesday.

On Monday, Obama signed a declaration that said it would fund 75 percent of assistance efforts in 15 counties in Louisiana. The next day, he signed a similar declaration for 29 counties in Mississippi.

On Wednesday, Obama signed two declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi for state and local governments and NGOs on a cost-sharing basis for work in various counties.

Isaac hit Louisiana Tuesday night and left several counties with severe flooding, even though it fell short of a hurricane and hit the state as a tropical storm.

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