Wichita ? The Federal Emergency Management Agency has paid out more than $72 million in assistance to 10 electrical cooperatives hit by the costliest ice storm in Kansas history.

The storm of Jan. 4-5 knocked out power to much of south-central Kansas, leading President Bush to issue a major disaster declaration for 38 counties.

According to statistics released Tuesday by FEMA and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, the storm damaged nearly 20,000 miles of power lines served by the 10 cooperatives.

The largest federal payout — more than $11 million — went to the Ninnescah Rural Electrical Cooperative’s system in central Kansas, said Walt Nelson, utility team leader for Kansas.

Once a federal disaster declaration is issued, federal funds pay 75 percent of eligible repair and replacement expenses. The state pays 10 percent, with the rest paid by local entities.

The local contribution can be covered by volunteer cleanup work, said Gene Krase, administrator of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.

“That’s a real thing we see here in the Midwest — the willingness of friends and neighbors to come and help,” Krase said. “We always like to encourage that.”

The previous record was set in 2002, when federal assistance from another ice storm totaled $46 million. That storm also hit southern Kansas.

“There are some (utilities) that are still trying to finish their repairs” from that storm, Nelson said. “It’s been several years, but it was massive.”

It could take several years for utilities to recover from the latest storm, he said.

“These things all require a lot of planning and engineering,” Nelson said. “It’s like building a bridge. They’re very complex.”