The US President has declared a disaster for the Red River flooding in Louisiana during the period 18 May to 20 June 2015.
The declaration was announced yesterday, 13 July 2015, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It means that federal disaster aid will been made available to the State of Louisiana to aid local recovery efforts in the area affected by the floods.
Federal funding will be available to state and eligible tribal and local governments and certain private non-profit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by severe storms and flooding in Bossier, Caddo, Grant, Natchitoches, and Red River parishes.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Red River Floods May to June 2015
May 2015 was the wettest month on record in Oklahoma and Texas, where huge amounts of rain fell across the Southern Plains. The water then made its way downstream, swelling levels of the Red River in Louisiana.
During June 2015, levels of the Red River were at their highest for 70 years in Shreveport, reaching a peak of 37.14 feet measured at 4pm on 09 June 2015. According to NWS / NOAA records, the highest recorded level of the Red River at Shreveport is 45.90 feet, from way back in 1849.
Louisiana National Guard were brought in to help shore up flood defences. Despite best efforts, the city of Shreveport and the parishes of Bossier and Caddo saw major flooding, with homes and businesses damaged.
