Butler County is among the 27 Pennsylvania counties which will get federal funding to cover disaster costs from the February snowstorms, announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday.

The announcement stated the county is eligible for three types of federal reimbursement, but it did not say how much it will get.

Frank Matis, director of county emergency services, said the county applied for $830,800 in federal reimbursement, and that about $50 million in total has been allocated to the state.

"That's pretty good news for us either way," Matis said of the eligibility announcement.

Robert French, state emergency-management chief, estimated it might take four to six weeks for the aid to be distributed.

Butler County qualifies for three types of federal relief: public assistance, snow assistance and the hazard mitigation grant program.

Public assistance aids state and local governments and certain nonprofit agencies for emergency work and repairs to disaster-damaged facilities.

The hazard mitigation grant program provides those same organizations funds for actions taken to prevent or to reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.

Snow assistance provides reimbursement for emergency measures such as extra road crews for plowing and salting.

"The president's decision will help these local governments recoup much of the costs they incurred for responding to these record-setting snow storms," Gov. Ed Rendell said in a statement Friday.

In March, Butler County along with 43 county municipalities, five school districts and Butler County Community College sought federal reimbursement for the $830,800 spent dealing with February's massive snowfall, That amount represents just a portion of the total costs those agencies spent this winter.

Rendell declared the weather event a state emergency, but that only enabled government bodies to circumvent the bidding process to hire contractors for snow removal. There is no state funding for emergency relief.

Butler County submitted a request to the federal government to be reimbursed for $830,800 to cover some of the costs of the snowstorms in February. Here is what governments, whose requests topped $20,000, and school districts asked for:• Cranberry Twp., $112,766• Butler, $108,937• Jackson Township, $56,891• Center Township, $52,111• Butler Township, $39,578• Middlesex Twp., $32,533• Zelienople, $24,570• Buffalo Twp., $22,557• Evans City, $22,224• Clearfield Township, $20,858• Adams Township, $20,636• Seneca Valley School District, $27,712• Butler School District, $10,575• Mars School District, $6,032• South Butler School District, $3,574• Karns City School District, $1,929• BC3, $11,700