Military department spends $8M on flood response

The state’s military department expects to spend nearly $8 million through this month in responding to the Mississippi River flooding and the preparation for high waters around Louisiana. That estimate includes the costs of activating more than 1,100 Louisiana National Guardsmen and providing fuel, supplies and aviation support for the response efforts. The Legislature’s joint budget committee agreed without objection today to allocate more than $7 million from the state’s emergency response fund to cover most of the costs. That will leave about $11 million in the emergency fund, according to the governor’s Division of Administration. River flooding impacts were far less severe in Louisiana than the worst-case scenarios suggested after two river diversion structures were opened.