By Mike Smith
The Advocate
LAKE CHARLES – The White House on Tuesday issued a long-sought request for relief for southwest Louisiana more than a year after Hurricane Laura, providing hope that funding will soon arrive for faltering rebuilding efforts in a region devastated by four natural disasters and which has grown desperate in its pleas for help.
The announcement was greeted with cautious joy by the region’s political leaders who have spent months trying to draw attention to southwest Louisiana’s needs following not only Laura, but also Hurricane Delta six weeks later, an unusually harsh winter storm in February and flooding in May. While the request was long overdue for the region, it nonetheless marks major progress in their campaign.