U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson visited parts of Louisiana devastated by historic floods this week and said the federal government will help for as long as it takes communities to recover. At least 13 people were killed, and more than 86,000 people have filed for federal assistance. Forty thousand homes have been damaged or destroyed. This is Johnson speaking in Baton Rouge.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson: “Our hearts are broken, but our faith is strong. The federal government is here. We have been here. We will be here as long as it takes to help this community recover.”
Thousands of people have returned to flood-hit homes as waters have receded. On Thursday, about 4,000 people were in shelters. The local paper, The Advocate, has criticized President Obama for continuing his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard amid the historic flooding, comparing his failure to visit the region to President George W. Bush’s failure to travel to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the editorial, The Advocate wrote: “We’ve seen this story before in Louisiana, and we don’t deserve a sequel.”