FEMADR-1159-WAMajor disasterDeclared January 17, 1997
DR-1159-WA: Washington Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,flooding
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Washington (DR-1159-WA) on January 17, 1997 for the incident of December 26, 1996 to February 10, 1997; it covers 38 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-1159-WA (also written FEMA-1159-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Washington
- Incident
- Severe Storm: Severe Winter Storms, Land & Muds Slides,flooding
- Incident period
- December 26, 1996 to February 10, 1997
- Declared
- January 17, 1997
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 10
- Place in the year
- the second of 4 major disaster declarations for Washington in 1997
- Status
- closed out on April 14, 2006
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
Which areas are covered, and for what?
| Designated area | Individuals and Households | Individual Assistance (older program) | Public Assistance | Hazard Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Asotin (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Benton (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Chelan (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Clallam (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Clark (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Columbia (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Cowlitz (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Douglas (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Ferry (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Franklin (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Garfield (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Grant (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Grays Harbor (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Island (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Jefferson (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| King (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Kitsap (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Kittitas (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Klickitat (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Lewis (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Lincoln (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mason (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Okanogan (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Pacific (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Pend Oreille (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Pierce (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San Juan (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Skagit (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Skamania (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Snohomish (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Spokane (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Stevens (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Thurston (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Walla Walla (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Whatcom (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Whitman (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Yakima (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
An area can be added to a declaration after the first day, or have a program added: this table is FEMA's current list.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
How much has FEMA approved?
FEMA has published no assistance totals for this declaration.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2); FEMA, OpenFEMA FEMA Web Disaster Summaries (v1). Data as of September 29, 2026.
FEMA's page for this declaration
FEMA's own page for this declaration is fema.gov/disaster/1159. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.