An article from the New York Times discusses FEMA’s measured support to state and local officials in California as they have addressed a series of large, deadly and destructive wildires. Since President Trump issued a major disaster declaration earlier this month, the agency has approved more than $12.7 million in federal assistance for survivors affected by wildfires in three California counties. In addition to processing applications for assistance from survivors, FEMA is coordinating the work of other federal agencies, like efforts by the Defense Department to provide pilots to help the state assess the fires’ effect. As noted by the article, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is managing the overall response, with personnel from local governments playing a significant a role in fighting fires and evacuating and caring for survivors, among other functions. FEMA’s involvement in the response to the California wildfires is much different than what occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, when government entities in Puerto Rico were overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, requiring the federal government to assume more responsibility. But the approach being employed in California reflects what FEMA Administrator Brock Long has emphasized is the optimal framework for emergency management, that it be “federally supported, state managed, and locally executed.” The New York Times.