ST. GABRIEL — St. Gabriel Mayor Lionel Johnson was among three Louisiana mayors who participated in an initiative that will bring quicker disaster relief to cities along the Mississippi River in 10 states. 

Johnson, as well as Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft and Gretna Mayor Belinda Constant, met with the rest of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative in Champlin, Minnesota, earlier this week. 

The group, representing 105 cities along the river, reached an agreement with the national charity Convoy of Hope that "guarantees fast, on-the-ground assistance in the first 72 hours following a disaster."