La. declared major disaster area

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* By WILL SENTELL AND MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
* Advocate Capitol News Bureau
* Published: Sep 3, 2008 - UPDATED: 2:35 p.m.

Gov. Bobby Jindal said Tuesday that President Bush signed an order declaring Louisiana a major disaster area.

Also, state officials announced that 10 people died in Louisiana as a result of the Hurricane Gustav.

The president’s order paves the way for federal aid on temporary housing, home repairs and low-cost loans for residents of East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston and other parishes.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

“We are hoping to use this visit to help break through some of the challenges that remain in front of us,” Jindal said.

Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said Tuesday that 10 people died as a result of Gustav.

The storm is blamed for the deaths of seven people who died of natural causes.

“Hurricanes can cause great stress,” Levine said.

Two people died in Baton Rouge. The others died in Jefferson, Calcasieu, Lafayette and Lafourche parishes.

The storm was much more devastating in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, where 96 people died.

“I would certainly expect that the number would be lower because so many people evacuated,” Levine said, referring to the nearly 2 million people who left coastal Louisiana before the storm hit.

Hurricane Gustav made landfall midmorning Monday in lower Terrebonne Parish as a Category 2 storm. Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes sustained the biggest impact but Baton Rouge experienced strong gusts.

An Abbeville couple died at a home in Pollard Estates on Monday after a tree smashed through the roof. Richard Broussard, 72, and his 71-year-old wife, Mary Ann, evacuated to Baton Rouge from the storm.

The other deaths:

* Three resulting from natural causes during evacuation in Jefferson Parish.

* Three resulting from natural causes during evacuation in Calcasieu Parish.

* One accidental in Lafayette Parish attributed to falling trees.

* One in Lafourche Parish associated with natural causes.

The death toll from Gustav is expected to be much smaller than the 1,400 people killed during Hurricane Katrina. Katrina hit New Orleans hard, flooding most of the heavily populated city. Gustav largely spared New Orleans.

A Jefferson woman died on Interstate 10 near Prairieville Monday after her car hit a tree. However, State Police said her death may have been alcohol-related.