BATON ROUGE - President Donald Trump declared that an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Delta beginning on October 6, 2020, and continuing, The White House Office of the Press Secretary announced Wednesday night.

The full statement from the White House is below:

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.

Public Assistance Category B emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided for the parishes of Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Lafayette, Lafourche, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

Public Assistance Category B emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided for the parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, La Salle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, and Winn.

Pete Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named John E. Long as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

Governor John Bel Edwards released his response to President Trump's decision late Wednesday night.

“I appreciate President Trump’s quick action on approving my request for a federal emergency declaration for Hurricane Delta, which will impact Louisiana’s coastline beginning on Friday,” Gov. Edwards said. “We have been working with our federal and local partners to prepare for and quickly respond to this hurricane, even as we continue to recover from Hurricane Laura and manage the COVID-19 public health emergency. All who live in South Louisiana should be preparing for Hurricane Delta and plan to be in place by Thursday evening as we prepare to weather yet another strong hurricane.”

The emergency declaration authorizes FEMA Public Assistance. FEMA will be authorized to provide Public Assistance Category B emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance for the parishes of Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Lafayette, Lafourche, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.