Gov. Edwards requests disaster declaration for 5 parishes following tornadoes

BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a federal disaster declaration for five parishes following tornadoes that struck the area on Feb. 7.Edwards requested the declaration to include assistance for Orleans, Ascension, Livingston, Jefferson and St. James Parishes. The requests are based on preliminary data from FEMA's damage assessment teams.At least six tornadoes struck southeast Louisiana on Feb. 7. Edwards declared a state of emergency