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Twenty-one Maryland counties and Baltimore city have been designated for federal aid to help recover from February's back-to-back snowstorms, under a disaster declaration President Barack Obama (D) issued Thursday afternoon.

Additionally, all 23 counties and Baltimore are eligible to seek grants for mitigating long-term risks to life and property from the storms.

Baltimore and all the state's counties, except Somerset and Worcester, are eligible for federal aid to pay for emergency work and repair or replacement of storm-damaged facilities.

Cecil, Howard, Kent and Talbot counties are eligible for assistance in paying for 72 hours of "emergency protective measures," while the rest, except Somerset and Worcester, are eligible for help in paying for those measures over 48 hours.

The declaration "begins the process of totaling reimbursable expenses with local and state emergency response agencies over the course of the coming months," but does not set the amount of aid, according to a statement released by the Gov. Martin O'Malley's (D) office.