(Bloomberg) -- The risk of flooding in Buffalo and western NewYork is dissipating as state officials look to Washington for helprecovering from last week’s storm, which dropped as much as sevenfeet (2.1 meters) of snow on the area.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that residents in theBuffalo area should prepare to evacuate as spring-like temperaturesmixed with rain. Today, with less precipitation than forecast andthe flood threat declining, the governor said the next step is totally the costs with a goal of meeting the minimum $27 millionneeded to receive federal disaster aid.

“The aftermath is going to be dealing with the financialramifications,” Cuomo said at a press briefing in Cheektowaga, atown east of Buffalo. “Many local governments spent their entirebudget on snow removal in the past week, and the winter hasn’t evenstarted.”

The snow was caused by lake-effect storms, which occur when coldair passes over relatively warm water. The pre-winter blast killedat least 12 people, most from heart attacks. It left houses buriedto the eaves and cars entombed on highways.

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