President Barack Obama has authorized the federal government to cover a larger percentage of the costs for repairing damage to public infrastructure from the historic flooding in south Louisiana, The Associated Press reports.
In a letter to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards dated today, Obama says he agreed to increase the federal government’s share of the costs for “public assistance” projects from 75% to 90%.
State and local government agencies cover the balance for these projects, which includes debris removal and emergency response expenses.
Obama’s letter says his administration already has spent more than $660 million to help the state respond to last month’s floods.
In a letter to Obama dated Sept. 2, Edwards said the state had more than $8.7 billion in flood damage.
