As if the pandemic's economic, emotional, and psychological impact wasn't enough already, certain states have had also to battle other unique and unprecedented dismal and appalling situations of their own. Arguably, one of the states that went through a particularly rough (not to mention distressing) situation was Louisiana.

In addition to recording over 200,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 6,000 deaths due to the pandemic, Louisiana was terribly ravaged by Hurricane Laura in August 2020.

According to Sen. John Kennedy, "Based on past experience, we'll have billions of dollars in damage. The toughest part is yet to come. When the adrenaline stops and the cameras go away and you get a little rest, you kind of look up, look at it and go, 'man, how do we rebuild here,' and you just do it by getting up in the morning, putting one foot down and then taking another step."

Now, while we might not be able to control the environmental situations we find ourselves in, one thing we can do is choose how we respond to these issues.

Providing relief in the aftermath of such an occurrence is only natural. However, it is safe to say that Louisiana had never been so tasked to perform on many fronts. As such, in addition to focusing on how the state and its citizens will recover from the tremendous impact of Hurricane Laura, the leadership of Louisiana must put the long-term sustainability of the region into consideration as well.

The simple truth remains that as things stand right now, the current level of funding that can be provided is more than enough to set the state on a speedy path to recovery. All that is left is for proper management and allocation of these resources.

Opting to pour even more into post-relief funds might seem like a clever play right now, but it could very well be Louisiana's undoing in the long run.

We can work through the present and secure the future, but only if we make the right call and leave relief funding as it is.