President Donald Trump on Monday declared a state of emergency for Louisiana and ordered federal assistance to the state to help responders with disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
"The president's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts," the White House said in a press release. The federal assistance will supplement state, tribal, and local response to the storm.
The declaration of emergency was approved for Louisiana to "lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, and Vermillion," according to the White House.
"Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency," the statement said. "Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding."
A declaration of a state of emergency makes it easier to allocate federal resources for a disaster.
FEMA administrator Brock Long named William J. Doran III as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the areas affected by Harvey, according to the Department of Defense.
