Feds Assist California In Oroville Emergency

Update 6:24 p.m. - Monday evening, Gov. Jerry Brown requested further aid. He’s asked President Trump to formally declare an emergency and provide direct federal assistance to 10,000 evacuated residents.

Original post - Federal agencies are providing California with preliminary assistance for the Oroville dam emergency, contrary to some rumors President Donald Trump is withholding aid to the state.

The President earlier this month had threatened to withhold federal funds, calling California “out of control.” A website that masquerades as a news outlet, called the Sacramento Dispatch, had published a false report that the president carried out that threat after the Oroville dam emergency led to the evacuation of more than 180,000 Californians from their homes.

But the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, says 101 federal responders are doing work related to the emergency.

"[The] Army Corps (of Engineers) has been working with the state directly outside of this process for quite some time," says FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Ahsha Tribble. "We include them in our operations here. We also have other agencies, like the Department of Transportation, Department of Defense, Health and Human Services, all the things we think we may need in support of this type of disaster."

She says the agencies are providing technical assistance and planning, and FEMA has supplied cots, blankets and water for distribution to evacuated residents. The agency could not provide a dollar amount for the personnel and supplies.

For further support, President Trump would have to declare an emergency, but first Gov. Jerry Brown would have to request it. He has not.