In a letter addressed to President Barack Obama yesterday, Gov. Ed Rendell pleaded for federal assistance for flood-ravaged communities in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties that were drenched by record-setting rains June 17.

The governor emphasized that about 80 percent of those impacted by flooding were low-income and about a sixth are over the age of 65. Only 1 percent of those impacted had flood insurance.

"The communities impacted by the storm are generally blue-collar, working class communities who have experienced the pain of economic downsizing," the letter said.

After a request from Mr. Rendell last week, authorities from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency toured both counties to assess flood damage. The assessments will help determine how much aid the federal government will provide communities there.

The governor also issued a disaster proclamation for both counties yesterday, which authorizes state agencies working in those counties to bypass traditional bidding processes for contractors to speed repairs.