INDIANAPOLIS | Gov. Mitch Daniels today sent President Bush a letter asking him to reconsider his denial of disaster assistance to areas of Lake County pummeled by fierce storms and flooding in August. (Read the governor's letter)

"Citizens from Lake County continue to call local and state offices seeking assistance," Daniels wrote. "There is very little insurance coverage in effect to cover the perils associated with this disaster. Of the many homes in northern Lake County sustaining major damage due to sewer back up, less than 1 percent were insured for that peril. Likewise, less than 1 percent of the homes sustaining damage for wind-driven rain were insured."

Daniels says the preliminary assessments that went into the state's original request for assistance last month did not reflect the full damage wrought by the storms. His amended request includes storm damage reported in a handful of other counties, including Porter County. The new request also details storm response expenses incurred by local governments.

For more, read Thursday's editions of The Times.