Click here to read Gov. Edwards letter to President Obama

In a letter addressed on Oct. 20 to President Barack Obama, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards asked for an increase in federal disaster assistance to now more than $4 billion to help Louisiana recover from the August floods. The Governor's office has estimated that Louisiana sustained $8.7 billion in August flood damage, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that 6,000 Louisiana businesses flooded this year.​ Earlier this month, Louisiana was awarded $438 million in federal flood aid — the bulk of a $500 million allocation included in a continuing resolution Congress passed to fund the federal government.

​In the letter, Gov. Edwards wrote, "Based on the analysis of FEMA's Individual Assistance data, our current estimate of unmet needs in homeowner occupied  housing alone is $2.8 billion. Over 50% of the homes impacted by these floods were in FEMA's 100-year floodplain, and 78% of the impacted homes did not have flood insurance. Some communities had over 80% of their homes impacted by these floods. And 25% of our impacted residents were renters in a market that was already severely challenged with respect to the availability of affordable housing prior to the floods. Clearly, we will need additional funds to provide housing assistance to ensure these communities come back."