BATON ROUGE- Gov. John Bell Edwards is requesting federal assistance due to river flooding concerns.

The Governor's request covers emergency protective measures and direct federal assistance.

In a press release sent out Saturday morning the governor mad the following statement:

"Weather experts say this has been the wettest stretch on record for the Lower Mississippi River Valley," said Gov. Edwards. "Rivers and waterways across the state have remained elevated for the past several months. River forecasters say this fight will now extend well into the summer and will likely result in the need to open the Morganza Spillway, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Bonnet Carre spillway is currently open, after being opened and closed earlier this year as part of the flood fight. This is the first year that structure was opened twice. Many of our waterways remain elevated, many roads continue to have problems with standing water and floodwaters threaten homes and businesses in many different regions of the state. The state has already started assisting our local partners and stand ready to expand that assistance as needed."

The Governor declared a state of emergency on February 27th  which allows the state to use resources to help with flood response efforts

For more information on road closures during an emergency, visit www.511la.org