AUGUSTA (AP) – Gov. John Baldacci is asking the federal government for emergency assistance in the wake of last week’s winter storm.

State officials say the storm brought up to 32 inches of snow in a 24-hour period.

A favorable federal response could mean the Federal Emergency Management Agency would reimburse three-quarters of eligible costs related to snow removal incurred by local communities and the Maine Department of Transportation in designated counties.

Such costs could include overtime for public works and public safety personnel, equipment costs, and supplies such as sand and salt, officials said.

Last week, Baldacci requested snow emergency assistance for three counties affected by the Jan. 22 snowstorm.

This time, assistance is being requested for 13 Maine counties.

“This was an extraordinary storm that created severe conditions across the state, coming on the heels of another record snowfall less than three weeks ago,” Baldacci said in a statement.

“We believe our application is well within eligibility requirements, but FEMA does have a thorough review process and a number of other states have requested emergency or disaster assistance. We expect the review process may take several weeks,” Baldacci said.

Assistance is being requested for the counties of Androscoggin, Aroostook, Cumberland, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Washington and York.

In a related development, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe has submitted a letter to President Bush in support of a request for snow emergency assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of the January snowstorm. Snowe’s letter cited Cumberland, Washington, and York counties.

“The extreme weather conditions experienced by so many Mainers this winter have caused significant damage, and they certainly warrant emergency assistance,” Snowe said. “It is critical that we supplement local and state resources while efforts are made to return these areas to pre-storm conditions.”