President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the federal government would cover 100% of the cost of initial disaster relief after the Los Angeles wildfires.

In a meeting with federal officials at the White House, Biden said the funds would be used for 180 days for debris removal, emergency shelter, salaries for first responders and more.

Biden said he stressed to California officials that they should “spare no expense to do what they need to do.”

He also had a message for residents affected by the devastating fires: “We are on your side. We’re not going anywhere. To the firefighters and first responders, you are heroes.”

As Biden spoke, five fires spread across the Los Angeles area. Around 28,000 hectares of land were burned and hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated. At least five people died in the fires and many more were injured.

Also attending the meeting was Vice President Kamala Harris, a California native whose neighborhood had to be evacuated earlier this week.

“What we’ve seen in California, and particularly Southern California, is apocalyptic in nature,” Harris said.

According to the White House, Biden approved a major disaster declaration on Wednesday, allowing fire victims to “immediately access funds and resources to boost their recovery.”

Biden also directed the Pentagon to deploy all firefighting resources needed in the region, including helicopters, to help put out the flames. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized 500 wildfire recovery personnel to support local first responders, Biden said Thursday.

“We expect winds to moderate temporarily, but winds are expected to continue well in some areas over the next week,” Biden said. “And so we will continue to spend everything, literally every resource we can find, to help the governor and the first responders.”

Biden canceled his visit to Italy, where he had planned to meet with Pope Francis and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on his final foreign trip of his presidency, to focus on the federal response to the tragedy.

The president was in California on Wednesday receiving a briefing from officials alongside Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been the target of attacks from President-elect Donald Trump over his handling of the fires.

Trump also claimed Thursday morning that FEMA has “no money” under the Biden administration, which is false.

Congress passed a bill in December that provided an additional $100 billion for disaster relief, including $29 billion for FEMA’s disaster relief fund. The grant was less than the $40 billion Biden had requested for the agency.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was in Los Angeles on Thursday to meet with local officials and assess the damage.

FEMA also released a guide to assist those affected by the fires to jump-start the recovery process. The agency said individuals in certain areas may be able to receive money for essential items such as food, water, medicine and other supplies.

Biden said in his remarks that affected Californians should contact disasterassistance.gov or 1-800-621-3362.

“To the families affected by this disaster: you are living a nightmare, I know that. And I promise you, we will help you get through this and ultimately recover and rebuild,” Biden said.