La. gov: Partnership with FEMA has been ‘terrific’

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards commended the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday for its response to the devastating floods in his state.

{mosads}”We have received tremendous cooperation and assistance. And, quite frankly, the partnership has been terrific,” Edwards told NBC News’s Chuck Todd, in an interview on the same day President Obama visited the flood-damaged region.

“And had it not been, I guess I would have been in a bigger hurry for the president to visit.” 

Obama had been criticized for not cutting his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., short to respond to the disaster. 

Storms and flooding damaged more than 40,000 homes, left thousands displaced and killed at least 13 people.

The White House earlier this week dismissed the criticism over Obama’s decision not to visit the area sooner, and rejected comparisons to then-President George W. Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina in the state in 2005.

The governor said Tuesday night that when the rain started earlier this month, there were people from FEMA “in our governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.”

“They had been embedded with us throughout. They helped me transmit a verbal request for a federal major disaster declaration that the president granted within hours,” he said.

“And then two days later, he extended that list from four parishes to 20 parishes, which is what we asked for.”

Edwards said he’s been able to talk with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate during three of the past 10 days, which he said has been “invaluable” in terms of the programs the state will use as it transitions to the recovery phase.

Edwards also said during the interview he doesn’t have time to deal with the politics surrounding the president’s visit to the state while also trying to manage the response and recovery.

“It’s too divisive,” he said. “It’s too distracting.”

He did say he thought the president’s visit was “timely.”

“The president’s visit I think was great today,” he said. “Mr. Trump’s visit last Friday turned out to be a good thing as well.”

Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, visited the area on Friday alongside running mate Mike Pence. 

Obama visited the site of the devastating floods on Tuesday. During his visit, he praised the head of FEMA for his response, calling him “one of the best hires I’ve made as president.”