A federal major-disaster declaration has been issued for the mid-August flooding that devastated part of the Seneca Lake shoreline and other areas in upstate New York.

The declaration, signed Monday by President Trump, covers portions of Chemung, Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Tioga and Seneca counties.

The declaration makes local governments and some non-profits that responded to the flooding eligible for reimbursement of most of their expenses and repair of public infrastructure.

Aid to individuals who suffered losses in the flooding has not yet been approved.

No estimate of damage from the multi-county floods was available Tuesday, though the combined costs to local governments must have exceeded $29 million in order to qualify for federal assistance.

Amid widespread flooding, Seneca Lake fares the worst

The worst of the flooding may have occurred in the Seneca County town of Lodi and the neighboring town of Hector, Schuyler County.

There, rain-swollen creeks thundered down steep hillsides, knocking homes from foundations, carrying cars into Seneca Lake and washing residents out into the water.

Why Seneca Lake's shoreline flooded so badly

Many areas of upstate New York, including parts of Monroe County, received three to four inches of rain from a powerful storm system that passed over the region on August 13 and 14.

Aside from the southeast shore of Seneca Lake, where as much as 10 inches may have fallen in a few hours' time, serious floods also occurred in many Southern Tier communities.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and members of the state's congressional delegation had pressed for the declaration.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, said in a statement Tuesday the aid would provide "an important and vitally-needed shot in the arm for the Rochester-Finger Lakes and Southern Tier communities that were ravaged by the devastating flooding."

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the state's junior Democratic senator, said the declaration "will provide much-needed federal funding to help expedite the recovery process."

SORR@Gannett.com