The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied Gov. Andrew Cuomo's request to provide aid to area residents affected by April's floods.

In late April, the Hudson River and Lake Champlain reached record levels due to a combination of heavy rains and snow melt.

The floods caused an estimated $36 million in damage to public infrastructure across 23 New York counties, including Warren, Washington and Saratoga, and resulted in a federal disaster declaration.

While FEMA has declared the affected region eligible for funding to repair damaged public infrastructure, agency officials found damage to private waterfront properties didn't warrant public financial assistance.

"It has been determined that the damages to the residences as a result of this event was not of the severity and the magnitude to warrant the designation of the Individual Assistance program," states a FEMA letter received Friday by Cuomo's office.

The April flood stretched into early May and left many homes inundated for weeks, causing mold to grow and walls to rot.

The governor has 30 days to appeal FEMA's decision.

"I urge the Governor to appeal this decision and will support his effort should he decide to do so," said Congressman Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh. "Severe weather has caused a great amount of damage to property and local economic development, and it is critical that our communities receive the assistance they need to recover."

A late May rainstorm also caused localized flash flooding in northern Warren County. But FEMA officials said the estimated $13 million price tag for repairs to property damage from that incident occurred too long after the initial flooding to be considered as part of the first request for disaster relief.

Congressman Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, has been calling on the administration of President Barack Obama to expand the federal declaration to include the late-May Warren County flash floods, which left dozens of local roads and bridges in tatters.