President Obama on Thursday declared Vermont a disaster area. The declaration formally clears the way for federal assistance in the recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. "We appreciate the president's quick and decisive action to help Vermonters deal with one of the worst natural disasters in the state's history," Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch said in a joint statement. Also on Thursday, Sanders spoke about the devastation caused by the flood waters during an interview with NPR's Diane Rehm. "The spirit of our people is extraordinary ... but we're a state that's in a lot of trouble today," he said. 

Read the White House statement on President Obama's disaster declaration»

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In the joint statement tanking President Obama, the congressional delegation said "federal and state agencies have worked side by side with local governments, volunteer first responders and the Vermont National Guard to deal with the storm and the raging flood waters. We will continue to cooperate as Vermont recovers and rebuilds."

The initial disaster declaration covers public buildings and structures in 13 counties and offers assistance to individuals and businesses in four counties.

"We expect the president will provide additional assistance in some of the most hard-hit areas of Vermont as additional information becomes available," the congressional delegation statement said. Windham County, the scene of some of the worst damage in Vermont, was not on the initial list but is expected to be added later. Windham and other hard-hit counties were not included on the initial list because of the difficulty of compiling information.