OLYMPIA –The federal government is being asked to cover some of the costs that Spokane and 14 other Washington counties have from damage sustained during heavy storms early this year.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Gov. Jay Inslee asked for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s program that helps counties, cities and other local governments with the cost of dealing with natural disasters.

Inslee’s letter requests help to defray the costs of emergency respons, debris removal and repairs to public infrastructure with an estimated total of $27 million statewide from storms that hit the state between Jan. 30 and Feb. 22.

“This was not the usual weather,” Inslee said in the letter. The Northwest experienced a colder winter than it had seen in a generation, with heavy rains coming on the heels of snow and ice.

On Feb. 16, the letter said, Spokane County reported more than 30 road closures and 97 damged roadways from the storm. Six wastewater pipes spilled a mixture of rainwater and partially treated sewage into the Spokane River.

Damages were estimated at $5.1 million for Spokane County. Lincoln County had estimated damages of $2.2 million, which represented the highest per capita damage in the state at nearly $206 per person. Pend Oreille County damages were estimated at $470,000 and Adams County at $202,000.

If granted, FEMA’s public assistance program could cover 75 percent of eligible costs. The agency typically makes a decision on whether to provide the assistance in a few weeks.

The storms represented the fifth major disaster in the state since August 2015, the letter said.