BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has asked the White House to a disaster declaration for areas of the state that suffered from January flooding and severe storms.

Jindal says in the letter to President Obama and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the damage meets the requirements of the Stafford Act for an expedited major disaster declaration.

Jindal says preliminary damage assessments for 18 parishes and some state agencies is more than $6.5 million.

Jindal says the severe weather began on Jan. 8 and continued until Jan. 17 with extended periods of torrential downpours followed by flooding.

The parishes listed in the letter are Acadia, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, Evangeline, Franklin, Iberville, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Madison, Rapids, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, Tensas, and Vermillion.