The most significant source of financial assistance following a Presidentially declared disaster is the federal government. FEMA, now part of the Department of Homeland Security, is charged with coordinating the federal response to requests from a state for disaster recovery assistance. The federal government helps state and local governments by assisting with response and recovery operations and providing funds to support these activities.
Following a Presidential Declaration disaster assistance is made available to help residents and local governments in the declared counties recover from the effects of the disaster. The decision to include a county in a Presidential disaster declaration is made jointly by the Governor's Authorized Representative (typically the head of the state's homeland security or emergency management office) and the Federal Coordinating Officer assigned by FEMA to the situation.
The announcement of a disaster declaration, which includes a list of counties being declared, is usually made by the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and published in a FEMA press release. Some types of assistance are available in counties that adjoin the declared counties. This FEMA page lists federal declarations and the counties included in each declaration; remember that counties are often added to the original declaration as damage assessments progress.
SBA's Disaster Assistance Program is the primary federal disaster-assistance loan program for long-range recovery for private-sector, non-agricultural disaster victims... (more)
USDA offers several financial assistance programs for recovery from agricultural losses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also provides food and logistical assistance and assists state departments of agriculture in assessing agricultural and rural infrastructure damage. For example, USDA assistance may include food commodities, replacement food stamp benefits and Forest Service-managed FEMA mobilization centers. See "Help from the Department of Agriculture", below, and the page on "Resources for Farmers and Rural Areas".
Matters relating to a Presidentially declared disaster (and state declarations) are managed in each state by the governor's authorized representative. In many cases this is the state office of emergency preparedness or emergency management, the division of emergency management, or the like. It could be an Office of Homeland Security or in a department with a name less obviously related to the task, such as the Department of Community Affairs. Each of these state entities will have a structure for dealing with its counties.