By Deborah Barfield Berry

WASHINGTON — Gulf Coast lawmakers, whose states have suffered their share of disasters, are pushing Congress to approve more federal aid to states hit by Superstorm Sandy.

“This is going be a long road for the Northeast,” Sen. Mary Landrieu, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, said Friday. “This is likely going to be an incredibly costly recovery, and we will need additional funding.”

Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat, is pushing for a supplemental appropriations bill to help with recovery efforts. She has not asked for a specific amount, saying it can take weeks after a disaster to get estimates on damage and recovery costs.

Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, said he will work with his colleagues to address disaster recovery needs for states hurt by Sandy.

“Having worked through major disasters affecting Mississippi and the Gulf Coast, the senator understands the hardships being experienced by the people whose lives have been disrupted by this major storm,” Chris Gallegos, a spokesman for Cochran, said Thursday.

State and local officials from the Gulf Coast, recalling their own struggles after recent disasters, also have stepped up efforts to help through food drives and benefit concerts.

New York Gov. Mario Cuomo said the state needs $30 billion in federal aid.

When Sandy hit the East Coast in late October, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had $7.8 billion in its disaster relief fund, said a Landrieu aide. That figure has since dropped to $5.8 billion. Most of it — $1.6 billion — was spent to help victims of Sandy, the aide said.

Aside from FEMA, Landrieu said other agencies also play a key role in providing recovery aid, including the departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development.

“Unfortunately additional funding for disaster programs at these agencies was zeroed out in the current continuing resolution and their resources are dwindling,” Landrieu said. “We owe it to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, and all disasters, to work together to fully fund a recovery.”

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast communities are pitching in.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is hosting a benefit concert Tuesday. “New Orleans has been there,” he said. “We remember the generosity of others, and we want to pay it forward to those who are recovering.”

In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant called on residents this week to help with a Salvation Army food drive for victims of Sandy in New Jersey.

“Unfortunately Mississippians know all too well about disasters,” Bryant said. “But we also remember the kindness we received from fellow people from all around the country.”

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker praised Mississippi groups, including first responders, for helping Sandy victims.

“Our state’s experience with severe weather has made the expertise of our emergency personnel a valuable asset,” Wicker wrote in a column. “For many Mississippians, helping those affected by Hurricane Sandy is an especially meaningful mission.”

Senators from New York and New Jersey sent a letter to President Barack Obama Tuesday asking him to submit to Congress a supplementary budget request to help their states. Republican and Democratic lawmakers from the Northeast have asked congressional leaders to make sure FEMA has enough funds for recovery efforts.

Last year, Landrieu and Cochran successfully led the push to increase FEMA’s disaster relief fund.

That effort was not without challenges. Democrats argued the additional funding should be approved immediately to help disaster victims and get delayed recovery projects back on track, while Republicans demanded that any increase in disaster aid be contingent on equal spending cuts elsewhere in the budget.

Under last year’s debt-ceiling measure, Congress can appropriate another $5 billion in disaster aid without offsets.

Last year, Landrieu and Cochran also proposed the Disaster Recovery Act, which would change how the government provides some aid to state and local governments, victims and nonprofit groups after a disaster.

The legislation would amend current law to better track how disaster aid is used, streamline regulations and eliminate incentives to use expensive contractors over local government workers. It also aims to improve contract oversight and the application process for disaster aid.

It also would create a “catastrophic” category for the most severe disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and would also press local governments to set up plans in advance of disasters and adopt and enforce statewide building codes.

If enacted, the bill could help in major disasters like Sandy, supporters say.

Some critics, however, say the responsibilities for disasters should be left more to local governments.