(RALEIGH) -- Seven North Carolina counties have been approved for federal disaster assistance as a result of damage from Hurricane Irene. President Obama signed the order Wednesday after Gov. Bev Perdue's made the request on Monday.

The declaration includes the counties of Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico and Tyrrell. The move by the President means residents in those counties are eligible for federal help in paying for uninsured damages caused by Hurricane Irene.

“I urged our federal partners to move quickly on this request for assistance, and they did,” said Perdue. “We’re grateful for that rapid response. Our fellow North Carolinians who suffered losses during this storm need to start rebuilding their lives now, not tomorrow.”

The declaration came after Perdue spent her third day assessing emergency response and visiting with local officials to discuss the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene. She was joined on Tuesday by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Perdue also urged Vilsack to move quickly on assistance for North Carolina farmers whose crops were damaged. Crop assessments (see photos courtesy of sfntoday.com) are indicating significant damage to tobacco, cotton and corn.

While Perdue said on Tuesday that preliminary damage estimates across Eastern North Carolina total more than $71 million, a full assessment of the impact on North Carolina agriculture continues. Perdue said she could request a disaster declaration for additional counties as local, state and federal teams complete preliminary damage assessments.

A presidential declaration enables the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide low-interest loans or grants to hurricane survivors to help them repair their homes, pay medical costs, rebuild their businesses and begin the long recovery process. The federal grants and loans are intended to help disaster survivors restore their primary residences to safe, sanitary and a functional condition. Secondary residences are not eligible for federal assistance.