President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration for Louisiana Tuesday night, approving an urgent plea for additional federal aid from Gov. John Bel Edwards as the state battles the growing coronavirus outbreak.

Louisiana is just the fourth state to receive the disaster designation, a move that unlocked millions in federal disaster funding and could steer additional resources toward a health care system in the state that Edwards warned may be just 11 days away from being overwhelmed with serious coronavirus cases.

Edwards had requested the declaration Monday night, writing in a letter to the president that the epidemic "has overwhelmed the capabilities of state and local resources."

The governor filed the request just as a statewide stay-at-home order for Louisiana's 4.6 million residents went into effect. State officials and health officials have been scrambling to assemble enough protective gear for medical workers, add hospital beds and secure desperately needed medical equipment like ventilators.

Trump had previously declared major disasters in New York, California and Washington, other states that have seen particularly large outbreaks. Louisiana has seen the third-most coronavirus cases per capita in the U.S., according to Edwards.

The number of known coronavirus cases in the state reached nearly 1,400 on Tuesday and has claimed at least 46 lives so far.

"We have taken aggressive mitigation measures to flatten our curve, and this major disaster declaration will help us further combat COVID-19 in Louisiana," the governor wrote Tuesday night in response to the news.

The declaration means the federal government will reimburse the state and local governments for the mounting costs of responding to the coronavirus epidemic. Jay Dardenne, Louisiana's commissioner of administration, said public agencies have spent more than $71 million so far.

Those costs come as public officials at all levels brace for sharp expected drops in tax revenue amid the economic shutdown and plunging oil prices. Local leaders like New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell had warned that layoffs and deep budget cuts might be necessary without federal help.

New Orleans mayor calls U.S. response to coronavirus 'unacceptable' on CNN, CBS New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic “inadequate” and “unacceptable” in interviews with nati…

Staff at south Louisiana hospitals have described alarming shortages of basic protective equipment like masks in interviews with The Times-Picayune and The Advocate in recent days.

Newly released data from the Louisiana Department of Health showed intensive care units in the New Orleans area were already filling despite the expected peak of the epidemic still days or weeks away.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, took to Twitter on Tuesday night to thank Trump for "sending vital resources to help Louisiana recover" from the deadly epidemic.

"This will protect lives in our great state," Kennedy wrote.

This is a developing story. More details to come.