Gov. Brad Henry (web|news) has asked the federal government to provide additional disaster assistance to parts of Oklahoma affected by severe storms this month.

Henry wants federal authorities to provide disaster declarations for Craig, Latimer and Pittsburg counties. All three counties were affected by storms on May 10, the same day a tornado killed seven people in Picher in northeastern Oklahoma.

The National Weather Service (web|news) confirmed an EF-2 twister on the ground from Hartshorne in Pittsburg County to Yanush in neighboring Latimer County. The same EF-4 tornado that hit Picher started out in neighboring Craig County.

Federal officials approved a disaster declaration for Ottawa County last week, and more than 250 applications for individual assistance have already been received.

The governor expects to also request public assistance after damage assessments are completed.

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