Trump declares state of emergency for California after major earthquakes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump on Monday declared a state of emergency in California, paving the way for federal aid after two major earthquakes rattled the state last week.
"Spoke to @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy about the earthquakes in California and informed him that we will be working very closely on emergency funding," Trump tweeted. "Also spoke to Governor @GavinNewsom - all working together!"
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, an ardent critic of the president, toured the most-impacted areas on Saturday, the Sacramento Bee reported. He told residents he had spoken with the president, who said he was committed to working together.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We don’t agree on everything but one area where there’s no politics, and we worked extraordinarily well together, is on emergency response and recovery, and increasing that emergency preparedness,” Newsom reportedly said.
A visitor takes a photo of a crack on the ground following recent earthquakes Sunday, July 7, 2019, outside of Ridgecrest, Calif. (AP)
The 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck at 8:19 p.m. Friday was the state's largest in nearly 20 years and was centered 11 miles from Ridgecrest, the same area where a 6.4-magnitude temblor hit Thursday.
The tremors ended a years-long lull in major seismic activity in California and have prompted calls to implement early warning systems along the West Coast.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKES HAVE EVERYONE ASKING THE BIG QUESTION -- WHEN WILL THE BIG ONE COME?
Rattled residents in the Mojave Desert spent Monday cleaning up while officials assessed the damage. In the small town of Trona, officials said it could be several days before water is restored.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ten residences in Trona meanwhile, were red-tagged as uninhabitable and officials expect that number to increase as inspectors complete surveys.
Fox News' Travis Fedschun and the Associated Press contributed to this report.