Gov. Landry discussed Francine-related flooding with New Orleans, Jefferson Parish leaders

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Governor Jeff Landry met with leaders from New Orleans and Jefferson Parish on Friday (Sept. 13) to discuss the recent flooding caused by Hurricane Francine and the region's ongoing infrastructure challenges.

Following the meeting, Landry held a press conference at Signature Aviation in Kenner, joined by elected officials.

"We know, we all know we've got some challenges here in the New Orleans metropolitan area, those are challenges we all recognize. The importance is being honest about those challenges and how we are going to fix them," Landry said.

FOX 8 asked Landry what resources the state can provide to New Orleans and Jefferson Parish for infrastructure improvements.

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"Here's what I'll tell you. I think that what the state can do is look at the buckets that are available, right? Look at the federal programs that are out there. There's some Department of Energy, in fact, Secretary Graves was here earlier, and he's looking at the resiliency grants that we can apply for and lean into. Look at what FEMA can provide for us based on this particular storm, and then try to tie those things together," Landry responded.

The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board has faced equipment issues over the years and requires millions more in funding for a power complex. Ghassan Korban, the board's executive director, also met with the governor and expressed support for seeking funds from the U.S. Department of Energy.

"That is a very legitimate and real alternative to finding funding to complete the power complex," Korban said. "The structure is a little bit different, where there's a local share required to match what the Department of Energy gives us, so we're working very hard on securing that."

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell emphasized the city's need for additional resources. "I just want to continue to push for the necessary resources that the city of New Orleans needs relative to the Sewerage and Water Board, our power complex," Cantrell said.

Jefferson Parish also faces infrastructure issues. In Kenner, a city within the parish, at least 100 homes flooded during Hurricane Francine.

"We did lose some pumping capacity, but we were overwhelmed throughout the East Bank, and the few pumps that weren't on took us a little longer to de-water the area," said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng.

U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who represents Jefferson Parish, also met with Landry and local leaders. He addressed the efforts of Louisiana's congressional delegation to reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and secure long-term reauthorization. The program is set to expire at the end of the month.

"We're going to continue to fight with FEMA on this," Scalise said. "A few years ago, we in the House were able to pass a five-year reauthorization of the NFIP with reforms that would have prevented Risk Rating 2.0. Unfortunately, the bill didn't get through the Senate, and now we're at a new starting point, and it's gotten more complicated."

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell toured areas impacted by Hurricane Francine on Thursday. Landry said they had productive conversations about recovery efforts.

"I can tell you that her heart is in the right place, and she started to understand that if she, as the FEMA Administrator, recognizes the billions of dollars that the federal government, the state, and locals are spending to protect themselves, we should get credit for it," Landry said.