WASHINGTON — Gov. Jerry Brown asked the Trump administration for a federal disaster declaration for the emergency at Oroville Dam on Monday evening, citing the impending arrival of more storms and the potential need to resort again to the dam’s emergency spillway, which has been severely eroded.

The “incident is of such severity and magnitude that continued effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local governments,” Brown said in asking for direct federal assistance for 10,000 evacuated residents of Butte, Sutter and Yuba counties who he said require assistance.

Brown held out the prospect in his letter that the state would ask for further assistance once investigators determine the extent of the damage.

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Presidential disaster declarations trigger federal financial and other aid. President Trump, only in office for three weeks, has already approved seven disaster declarations in other states, all for severe storms, and is working on a previous disaster declaration, received from Brown late Friday evening, for storms that slammed California last month, officials said earlier Monday.

Meanwhile, Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Butte County Republican who lives just below the dam, said he’s been in touch with White House officials and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican who is close to Trump.

“We’ve got a pretty big problem here,” LaMalfa said. The White House “is aware of the situation, and they’ll assess what they need to do,” he added.

Ahsha Tribble, acting regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s region nine West Coast office, said the agency, known as FEMA, is processing the state’s request for a federal emergency declaration from storms that hit California from Jan. 3 to 12, pegging the federal aid request at $162 million. “We expect to continue to move that over the next day,” she said.

On Monday, California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, both Democrats, wrote a joint letter to Trump asking for quick approval of the governor’s disaster aid request.

Formal presidential disaster declarations occur routinely in response to requests from governors. The requests are usually made after the immediate emergency has passed, FEMA officials said.

Tribble said, the agency has planning- and technical-assistance teams in the state to respond to Oroville, and local officials at Chico airport, where an emergency shelter for evacuees from the town and surrounding areas threatened by potential catastrophic flooding has been set up.

The agency expects to provide blankets, cots and water for evacuees and is currently working with the state and the Department of Defense to find additional locations for temporary shelters.

The cost of repairing the spillway “is anybody’s guess,” LaMalfa said, adding that in his view initial estimates of $100 million could easily triple.

Repairs can’t be started until the area dries out in late spring, and will have to be finished before the next rainy season begins in the fall, potentially requiring heavy overtime costs. “I expect it’s not going to be cheap,” LaMalfa said, adding he expects significant federal assistance in the repairs. The federal Army Corps of Engineers paid 20 percent of the dam’s initial cost and has responsibility for flood control, he said.

LaMalfa said he expects Congress to hold hearings on the spillway failure once the emergency has passed, and ensure that there are no permitting or funding delays.

Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicle’s Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead