TRENTON -- Once again, Washington lawmakers who opposed Hurricane Sandy relief for the Northeast are having a change of heart after their home state has been devastated by flooding.

Three Louisiana GOP lawmakers -- Reps. Steve Scalise and John Flemming and Sen. Bill Cassidy -- were among the state's entire congressional delegation who sought a disaster declaration from President Obama, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The trio voted against federal relief funding for New Jersey and surrounding states in the aftermath of Sandy.

Louisiana has been hit by devastating flooding that the Red Cross last week called the worst natural disaster to strike the country since Sandy. More than 26 inches of rain fell on parts of the region in a 24-hour period last week causing "15 area rivers to reach historic crest levels," the aid group said.

About 30,000 people have been rescued from their homes by first responders and at least seven people have been killed as result of the flooding.

Obama signed a disaster declaration for the state the same day the Louisnana lawmakers pressed him on it.

"Apples and oranges," a Scalise spokesman, T.J. Tatum, responded when asked how his 2013 vote to deny relief to the Northeast squared with his demand for emergency flood assistance now, according to the LA Times.

The spokesman argued the demand for disaster declaration was only a formality needed to authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency to start spending it in the disaster zone, unlike the supplement relief for Sandy recovery and rebuilding sought by New Jersey lawmakers in 2012.

In 2013, a pair of New Jersey congressmen called a group of Colorado Republicans hypocrites for voting against the $50 billion Hurricane Sandy relief package earlier in the year and then requesting a chunk of the money to help their own state recover from deadly floods.

Similarly, Gov. Chris Christie mocked U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other lawmakers who opposed federal disaster relief on principle until their home states had disasters and needed the aid.

"We've seen this, right? We have Congress people in Colorado who voted against Sandy relief and then they got floods in Colorado and they said, 'Hey, we need some relief,'" Christie said at a 2015 town hall meeting in Iowa.

"We have Sen. Cruz, voted against Sandy relief," he continued, noting the recent floods that devastated Texas. "He says, 'Hey, need some help down here in Texas.'"

He added: "Now, c'mon."

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook. Follow NJ.com Politics on Facebook.