During her trip to Mississippi and Louisiana Secretary Napolitano was able to see both the impact and the response measures following Hurricane Isaac. The Secretary “met with state and local officials, first responders and volunteers, and surveyed ongoing response and recovery efforts.” The Secretary visited Bay St. Louis, MS and Slidell, LA.

On August 29, President Obama signed major disaster declarations for both Louisiana and Mississippi. This allows for federal aid to be made available to supplement state and local response efforts for emergency protective measures and debris removal in the areas affected by Hurricane Isaac. The federal declaration builds upon state emergency declarations issued earlier by both states.

On September 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “announced an amendment to the major disaster declaration for the State of Mississippi to include the Individual Assistance Program. Federal funding is now available to affected individuals in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, and Pearl River counties. For the State of Louisiana, disaster assistance has been approved for Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist, and St.Tammany parishes. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and households recover from the effects of the disaster.”