Trump Approves Federal Emergency Declaration for 27 Florida Counties Hit by Isaias. Here's What It Covers and What It Doesn't

President Donald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration for Florida on Friday as Hurricane Isaias closed in on the Panhandle, clearing FEMA to send federal help to 27 North Florida and Big Bend counties and pay 75% of the cost of emergency protective measures. The declaration, announced by FEMA Friday night, covers emergency conditions that began Oct. 6 and continue, and it was approved hours after Florida's two U.S. senators urged the White House to act before landfall.

The declaration is the first layer of federal support, not the last. It pays for life-safety work during the emergency but does not, on its own, provide grants to homeowners and renters. That kind of help requires a separate major disaster declaration, which Florida would have to request once damage assessments show the scale of losses from a storm that left one person dead in Escambia County and about 448,000 Florida utility accounts without power Saturday morning.

Which counties are covered

According to FEMA's announcement, the declaration covers these 27 counties: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla and Washington.

Gov. Ron DeSantis first declared an emergency for 25 counties on Oct. 6, when the system was still Tropical Depression Nine in the southwestern Gulf, and later expanded the state emergency to 27 counties as the forecast track firmed up. FEMA said more counties could be added later if the state requests them and further damage assessments warrant it.

FEMA named Brett H. Howard as the federal coordinating officer for the Florida response.

What the declaration pays for

FEMA's release authorizes emergency protective measures, known in FEMA's Public Assistance program as Category B, limited to direct federal assistance, at a 75% federal cost share. In practice, that means federal agencies can provide equipment, supplies and personnel directly when the state and counties request help they cannot supply themselves, from generators and water to search teams and emergency medical support. FEMA also said it is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide equipment and resources as needed.

The declaration does not, as written, reimburse counties for their own storm costs or cover debris removal. Those would come under broader Public Assistance categories that can be added later. Under FEMA rules, total federal spending under an emergency declaration is capped at $5 million unless the president notifies Congress that more is needed.

Senators pressed for approval before landfall

Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, both Florida Republicans, sent Trump a joint letter Friday supporting DeSantis' request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration covering 27 counties. In a release from Scott's office, the senators said "timely federal assistance is critical" to supporting state and local response efforts as a then-Category 3 storm approached.

The White House also approved an emergency declaration for Alabama, covering Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, with the same 75% cost share for emergency protective measures limited to direct federal assistance. FEMA named Willie G. Nunn to coordinate the Alabama response. Trump canceled plans to attend Saturday's Georgia-Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa, saying he did not want to disrupt emergency response efforts, the AP reported.

What a major disaster declaration would add

A major disaster declaration is the step that unlocks aid for individual Floridians and broader rebuilding money for local governments. The differences, according to FEMA's description of the two declaration types, are below.

To get there, the governor must submit a request through FEMA's regional office within 30 days of the incident, showing that the disaster is beyond the capacity of state and local governments. That request is usually built on preliminary damage assessments, joint surveys by federal, state and county teams that document damage to homes and public facilities. For catastrophic events, FEMA allows a request before assessments are finished, with aid expanded once they are complete.

The Panhandle's damage record so far, including 117 mph gusts in Escambia County, a Flash Flood Emergency in Okaloosa County, up to a foot of rain in Walton County and outages above 85% in four counties, is the kind of evidence those assessments will document.

How Florida residents can get help now

Because Individual Assistance has not been approved for Isaias, FEMA grants to households are not available yet. If a major disaster declaration designates counties for Individual Assistance, residents of those counties will be able to apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling FEMA's helpline at 800-621-3362. FEMA's Individuals and Households Program can cover temporary housing, repairs to an owner-occupied primary home and other uninsured disaster costs, but the agency says it is not a substitute for insurance.

In the meantime, state officials are urging residents to take steps that will matter later:

• Photograph and video damage to homes, vehicles and belongings before cleaning up, as Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia advised before landfall.
• File claims promptly with homeowners insurers and, for flood damage, with the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood carrier.
• Keep receipts for repairs, tree removal, hotel stays and supplies.
• Hire only licensed contractors. Attorney General James Uthmeier warned Saturday about price gouging and contractor scams.
• Use FloridaDisaster.org for state recovery resources, open shelters and county emergency management contacts, and call 211 for local help.

What's next

Damage surveys in the western Panhandle can move faster now that Interstate 10, U.S. 98 and state bridges have reopened, though rivers there will not crest until Sunday. Any request for a major disaster declaration, and the counties it seeks to designate for household aid, will be the next decision point for federal help. FEMA has said additional designations under the current emergency declaration remain possible as assessments come in.