Gov. Edwards requests major disaster declaration for severe winter weather from Pres. Biden Gov. Edwards requests major disaster declaration for severe winter weather from Pres. Biden (Source: Melinda Deslatte) By WAFB Staff | February 26, 2021 at 8:50 PM CST - Updated February 27 at 11:10 AM The following information is from the Office of John Bel Edwards: Governor John Bel Edwards is asking President Joseph R. Biden to declare a major disaster for Louisiana due to the recent severe winter weather event. A system of heavy rains, wintry precipitation, and freezing temperatures began moving across Louisiana on February 11, 2021, and a second, similar system, followed on February 17, 2021. The impacts of the wintry precipitation and low temperatures, some of the lowest ever recorded in the region, posed a serious threat to the lives and property of the people of Louisiana. The freezing temperatures resulted in outages to nearly 100 water systems, impacting roughly one-quarter of the Louisiana population. Also, more than 200-thousand people suffered power outages. The state was forced to close roads across the region, limiting travel for business and limiting some of the initial emergency response due to the dangerous conditions.