Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has appealed the federal government’s denial of aid to help Western Maryland communities recover from intense flooding this spring.

The May flooding in Allegany and Garrett counties has caused $33.7 million worth of damage, according to the Moore administration, an increase from the initial damage estimate of $15.8 million that was included in the state’s application for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Either way, the damage well exceeds FEMA’s threshold for providing assistance, Moore said in a statement Tuesday.

“Maryland has met long-standing criteria for FEMA support in the wake of historic floods across Mountain Maryland. And this appeal isn’t simply justified, it’s necessary,” Moore, a Democrat, said in the statement.

The governor blamed the situation squarely on Republican President Donald Trump. Moore’s press release on Tuesday described the FEMA decision as “Trump’s denial.”

Storms in May rapidly dumped 5 inches of rain on the region and triggered the worst flooding in Western Maryland in three decades.

As Georges Creek overran its banks in the town of Westernport, for example, floodwaters surrounded an elementary school where 150 children and 50 adults were evacuated by boat. Teachers’ cars were submerged in the parking lot.

More than 100 homes were flooded, and a coalition of groups has been working to clear mud, debris and mold from them.

The town’s fire station was damaged, a wall was blown out of the municipal garage and the library was coated in a thick layer of mud.

The state is seeking what’s known as a “major disaster declaration” from the president, which would unlock federal money to repair damage to infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water and sewer systems. The state is also seeking federal grant money to fund projects that would prevent damage from future floods.

FEMA said the help “is not warranted,” according to a July 22 letter sent by acting FEMA Administrator David E. Richardson.

A FEMA spokesperson said in a statement at the time that the decision was based “on policy not politics.”

“The law and regulations require FEMA to review each request closely and consider the unique circumstances of disaster-caused damages as well as state and local capacity,” the statement said.

Ever since the denial, Moore has consistently decried the decision in interviews and speeches, saying that the federal government has abandoned Marylanders in a time of need.

Maryland’s members of Congress have denounced FEMA’s decision as well.

As recently as Saturday, Moore included the flooding as an example of local and state officials working together across party lines, even as they were abandoned by the federal government.

“Western Maryland understands — and entire state stands with them — to say that the decision by FEMA was petty, it was partisan and it was punishing, and we will never stop fighting like hell to make sure that FEMA actually gets this decision right on behalf of the people of Allegany and Garrett counties,” Moore said to applause during a speech at the Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City.