He said the death toll from the flooding stood at 13 people and about 30,000 people have been rescued from the floods. Rainfall hit historic levels in some parts of the state.
"In Louisiana, taking care of one another is a way of life. We are on our way from response to recovery," Edwards said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency was on the ground and processing claims for help.
As of Thursday, about 4,000 people were in shelters. The flood waters have receded in many deluged areas with thousands of people returning to flood-hit homes to rip out soaked carpet and dump water-logged mattresses.
Many residents say they lost almost everything they owned.
Rains that started last Thursday have dumped more than 0.76m of water on parts of Louisiana.
