said he 's `` looking forward '' to his visit to the region on Thursday . According to a statement from the White House , the federal disaster declaration will allow for federal aid that `` can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs , low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses , and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster . '' FEMA and other relief and rescue services face significantly different challenges in the fire zone than they did on the Gulf Coast in 2005 . For example , the fires are n't covering every square foot of the region , as Katrina did . The devastation in California is intense but not universal . During and immediately after Katrina , the destruction was so complete that relief personnel and supplies -- even the U.S. Army -- could not get within miles of the disaster 's epicenter , New Orleans ' Lower Ninth Ward , for several days . By contrast , roads in Southern California have remained open for residents to get out and help to get in without delay . Residents there are generally more affluent and
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Federal Emergency Management Agency officials know the agency 's performance in the California wildfires will be watched closely for comparisons to its failures in Hurricane Katrina . A volunteer distributes donated food and supplies to evacueesTuesday at San Diego 's Qualcomm Stadium . FEMA Director David Paulison promised on Tuesday `` a different type of response than the federal government put together for Katrina . '' Paulison said Katrina `` was a wake-up call '' and that `` this is a new FEMA . '' President Bush signed a federal disaster declaration Wednesday , freeing up federal funds for families affected by the wildfires in seven counties in Southern California . `` I will continue to make sure that our efforts are coordinated , that we are responding to the needs of people , but most importantly I want the people in Southern California to know that Americans all across this land care deeply about them , '' he said . The action follows an emergency declaration by Bush on Tuesday morning for the counties of Los Angeles , Orange , Riverside , San Bernardino , San Diego , Santa Barbara , and Ventura . He