In the past several months, our great state has had its share of incidents that would devastate many communities in America. Some of the incidents were manmade, and could have been prevented, but the last was nature’s work and beyond anyone’s control.

The commonality of these crises is our response as a state and community. I have spent most of my adult life working in public safety responding to various local, state and national events, either from the perspective as a first responder or as a manager of our state’s resources.

All of these previous responses have had room for improvement and were evaluated after critical debriefings to set the stage for better responses to future incidents.

I can say without any reservation that the state’s response to the flood of 2016 has by far been the best response to any incident I have witnessed in the past 30 years.

As I reflect on the past several months of this state’s various challenges and the remarkable leadership by Governor John Bel Edwards – which is evident in his responses to these challenges, it is very clear to me that we are blessed to have John Bel as our governor at this time in our state’s history.

To those compassionate and courageous Louisiana citizens who are on the front line with helping hands and putting Louisiana – not politics – first, it is very apparent that this governor has also put Louisiana first.

Governor Edwards has a special gift that brings a sense of comfort and trust to the citizens. His gift is a great attribute that is truly needed when we face disasters and our future is not certain.

I have had the honor and privilege to have served in the Louisiana Legislature with Governor Edwards when he was a state representative and I know that he is truly a leader who cares about people and this great state. He is a fighter for people issues, a man who truly believes in the people of this state and he truly believes that we can do better for our children’s future.

I am very proud of John Bel and the leadership he has displayed and I am very thankful for his sincere and true leadership in these past several months of our state’s crises. In each situation, he immediately stepped forward to put a plan of action in place to serve our needs.

We should all be proud that we elected someone who is looking out for us in everything he does as governor.

Rep. Terry C. Landry, District 96, former State Police superintendent