Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Sunday the federal government declared a major disaster for the state of Louisiana.

Following a tour of several parishes with a FEMA official, Gov. Edwards requested that President Barack Obama make the declaration. The initial federal declaration Sunday was for the following parishes: Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge and Livingston.

Parishes added Tuesday include Acadia, Ascension, East Feliciana, Iberia, Lafayette, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry and Vermilion.

Additional parish declarations will be made as further damage assessments are conducted.

“I have traveled to the impacted parishes and met with families dealing with devastating loss due to this historic flood event,” Edwards said.

“I am grateful that the federal government has added additional parishes to this disaster declaration. We are traveling the state with FEMA representatives who are constantly collecting data on the damage, and we will continuously update our request to add more parishes as needed.

“I am optimistic that more parishes will be approved as we work around the clock to ensure every resource is available to the people of Louisiana.”

On Friday, Edwards declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Louisiana. Gov. Edwards made the request to President Obama on Sunday. Additional parishes are expected to be added on a rolling basis.

Anyone who has been impacted by this storm should register damages sustained, even if they do not live in the   four initial parishes. All registered damage claims in parishes added at a later time will be processed as those parishes are added.

Individuals can register damage on the web or by phone as follows:

www.disasterassistance.gov

1-800-621-3362

TTY: 1-800-462-7585