Topeka ? Lt. Gov. Troy Findley on Thursday signed a state disaster declaration for much of Kansas, including Douglas County, because of the record holiday snowstorm.

“We want to ensure the counties have the resources and financial assistance necessary to recover from this storm,” Findley said in signing the declaration for 48 counties.

“We are in the process of determining whether the damages were significant enough to qualify counties for reimbursement,” he said.

Starting Dec. 22, a strong, slow-moving storm blanketed the state with snow accompanied by high winds. The storm helped break many December snow records in northeast Kansas.

The disaster declaration is required for the state to apply for federal emergency funds, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the adjutant general’s department.

The federal government will provide assistance to pay to repair power outages and for snow removal. While there weren’t that many power outages in the recent storm, many communities spent a great deal of money in removing snow, she said. The declaration was signed by Findley because Gov. Mark Parkinson was on vacation and out of state, his office said.

These counties were named in the declaration: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clay, Coffey, Crawford, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Greenwood, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Norton, Osage, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Rawlins, Riley, Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson and Wyandotte.