Bush orders federal aid to battle California wildfires

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush declared an emergency in southern California due to out-of-control wildfires and ordered federal aid to be directed to the area, the White House announced Tuesday.

Bush's action authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population," the White House said in a statement.

FEMA "is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency," read the statement.

The Bush administration was heavily criticized after Hurricane Katrina struck the US gulf coast in 2005 for FEMA's...