FEMA Disaster Declarations — Recent US Federal Declarations
What is a FEMA disaster declaration?
A FEMA disaster declaration is a formal designation by the President of the United States that an event has caused enough damage in a state or territory that federal disaster aid is warranted. The declaration unlocks Public Assistance (rebuilding government infrastructure), Individual Assistance (grants and low-interest loans to households), and Hazard Mitigation programs. Declarations are issued at the county level — even if a hurricane hits the entire state, FEMA lists each affected county separately. There are three types: Major Disaster (DR) for the most severe events, Emergency (EM) for less severe but still federally-supported responses, and Fire Management Assistance (FM) for active wildfires.
Most Recent Declarations Across the US
The 6 most recent unique declarations from the OpenFEMA API. One row per disaster — multi-county events are listed once.