Trump approves California emergency declaration

President Donald Trump on Friday declared that an emergency exists in California and ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to Ventura County's Thomas Fire and others.

Read more:Thomas Fire live updates

The action authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. 

A news release from the White House stated: “This action will help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency may inflict on the local population, and provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura”.

FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide, at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.  

Brock Long, administrator of FEMA, named Mark Armstrong as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas.