BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards is reaching out to the nation's president-elect for help in Louisiana's recovery from mid-August flooding that heavily damaged southern parishes.

The Democratic governor sent Donald Trump a letter Wednesday, congratulating him on his victory, thanking him for his August visit to see the flood damage and asking to speak with the incoming Republican president about Louisiana's recovery needs.

Edwards' office released the letter Thursday.

In his letter, Edwards credits Trump's visit with drawing attention to the disaster, but said the state needs more help.

The governor has asked for $4 billion in federal aid and has received $438 million from Congress so far. Edwards wrote to Trump: "I am confident that we will be able to demonstrate to you the importance of these funds to Louisiana."