BATON ROUGE - Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that a total of 20 parishes have been declared a major disaster by the federal government. Previously, 12 parishes had received the federal declaration. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate approved the declaration in a meeting with Gov. Edwards while he visited Louisiana on Tuesday.

 The following parishes have now received a federal declaration (*denotes an already-announced parish):

  1. Acadia *
  2. Ascension *
  3. Avoyelles
  4. East Baton Rouge*
  5. East Feliciana *
  6. Evangeline
  7. Iberia *
  8. Iberville
  9. Jefferson Davis
  10. Lafayette *
  11. Livingston *
  12. Pointe Coupee *
  13. St. Helena *
  14. St. Landry *
  15. St. Martin
  16. St. Tammany
  17. Tangipahoa *
  18. Vermilion *
  19. Washington
  20. West Feliciana

“This is an historic flooding incident in Louisiana,” said Gov. Edwards.  “We are working around the clock to get every available resource into the hands of the people of our state.  No one will be forgotten as we continue to assess the damage. I will continue to work with the federal government, as well as state, local, and federal partners, to make sure the resources we need are on the ground as soon as possible.”

On Aug. 14, Gov. Edwards requested that President Barack Obama declare a major disaster for 21 Louisiana parishes. Four parish requests were granted in the initial declaration – East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa. Earlier today, Gov. Edwards announced that eight additional parishes were added – Acadia, Ascension, East Feliciana, Iberia, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, Vermilion. 

Additional parishes will continuously be added to the declaration on a rolling basis.