MADRAS, OR -- A bipartisan effort is underway to help counties hit especially hard by February's snow storm. Oregon's Congressional delegation sent a letter to the White House, Tuesday, asking the Trump Administration to declare an emergency in five counties. 

U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden signed on with Representatives Greg Walden, Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici and Kurt Schrader, citing especially devastating damage in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane and Jefferson counties. Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins tells KBND News a hay shed collapsed during the late winter storm that brought record snowfall to the area. They're asking for a federal disaster declaration and more than $30 million dollars in public assistance.

The letter was a response to Governor Kate Brown's request for a disaster declaration and eligibility for the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.