BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says the state is prepared and ready to shelter its Texas neighbors if necessary.
At a news conference Thursday, Edwards told reporters the state is planning to house an additional 3,000 people from Orange County, Texas, which is under a mandatory evacuation after Tropical Storm Harvey swamped its borders.
He says shelters are available in Lake Charles, Alexandria and Shreveport but state officials need to confirm with Texas officials that coordinating such a response is “what they want us to do.”
He noted that because of the extensive flooding in Texas, it’s been difficult for first responders to get to the area, which borders Louisiana.
Edwards reassured Louisiana residents that accommodating displaced Texas residents “would in no way deprive someone in Louisiana of shelter space.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.