PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - President Bush has declared a federal disaster for Oregon, clearing the way for federal aid after severe storms ravaged parts of the state.

The declaration provides recovery assistance to the public entities of Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, Tillamook and Yamhill counties. It does not, at this time, include assistance for individuals.

State and federal officials say further assistance is expected to follow as the damage evaluations are done. Gov. Ted Kulongoski and members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency are expected to tour the region Sunday.

Initial damage assessments are expected by Tuesday.

Sen. Ron Wyden said the declaration was a "big shot in the arm" for the devastated communities. He and other members of the Oregon delegation toured some of the hardest-hit areas Saturday.

"It gives a specific way to get help to the suffering folks today more quickly and in a more comprehensive way," Wyden said.

Oregon saw severe flooding, landslides and mudslides as the result of storms that hit the state, largely affecting its coastal communities.

Under Saturday's declaration, the federal government will reimburse 75 percent of the public cost for disaster response in those designated areas. It also creates a grant program that would provide federal money to take steps to reduce damage from future disasters such as burying utility lines.

The governor said the assistance will be of tremendous help to the communities hit with the brunt of the storms and thanked the president for the timely response.

If further assistance is provided, federal money could be made available to help victims with home repair, legal services, medical care, crisis counseling and other needs. FEMA officials also notify storm victims of benefits from other federal agencies, such as loans from the Small Business Administration.

The governor and Oregon's congressional delegation say they expect further federal assistance to come.

"What we saw was heartbreaking and a tremendous challenge, but I think we just got a huge payoff with the disaster declaration," said Sen. Gordon Smith.

There is still no official damage estimate but it is expected to be in "tens of millions of dollars" according to a spokesman of the state's emergency response team.

State and local efforts have already made some progress in cleanup. Many communities got their electricity back on Saturday and most major highways are open.

But many residents still have lost everything.

"It's a signal the federal government is starting to get it," Wyden said of the declaration. "There have been too many incidents where people had to wait for weeks and weeks."

News of the federal disaster declaration came as electricity was restored to almost all Pacific Power customers living on Oregon's north coast. More than 60,000 customers lost their power early in the week from storms. Several of the areas hardest hit by the storms were still without power Friday night.

But the company said it was able to get transmission lines back up and running overnight. The company said fewer than 70 customers were without power Saturday in scattered areas and crews were working on those issues.

If a customer does not have power, they should call Pacific Power Customer Service to let the company know.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)