Beaufort County has been declared a federal disaster area by President Barack Obama, Gov. Beverly Perdue’s office announced.

The declaration means federal grants or low-interest loans should become available to Beaufort County residents, according to Jim Chrisman, interim county manager.

The county will be assigned a telephone number that people can use to contact officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Also declared disaster areas were Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico and Tyrrell counties, Perdue’s office said in a news release.

More counties may be added later.

“This important step will help residents in those counties pay for uninsured damages caused by Hurricane Irene,” the news release reads.

For more information, see Thursday’s print edition or www.wdnweb.com.