NASHVILLE -Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has asked President Obama to declare 15 counties as federal disaster areas due to a series of severe storms, straight-line winds, flash flooding and the record flooding of the Mississippi River, beginning on April 19, 2011.

Should this request for assistance be granted, Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, Montgomery, Obion, Shelby and Stewart counties would have access to varying levels of federal assistance programs, according to a news release.

Haslam may request other counties as damage assessments are completed.

"We have many fine first responders, local leaders and state agencies who have been engaged for many days making sure we can protect and save lives, and protect property, during many severe weather and flooding emergencies," Haslam said in the release.

Obama already has declared a disaster in several Tennessee counties after the widespread devastation wreaked by a series of tornadoes April 27.

Those counties include Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, McMinn, Monroe and Rhea in Southeast Tennessee.