FEMADR-1242-VAMajor disasterDeclared September 4, 1998
DR-1242-VA: Virginia Hurricane Bonnie
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Virginia (DR-1242-VA) on September 4, 1998 for the incident of August 25, 1998 to September 1, 1998; it covers 5 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-1242-VA (also written FEMA-1242-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Virginia
- Incident
- Hurricane: Hurricane Bonnie
- Incident period
- August 25, 1998 to September 1, 1998
- Declared
- September 4, 1998
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation
- FEMA region
- 3
- Place in the year
- the only major disaster declaration for Virginia in 1998
- Status
- closed out on May 20, 2005
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Norfolk | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Portsmouth | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Suffolk | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virginia Beach | — | Yes | 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?
$1.5 millionHazard Mitigation Grant Program obligated
Individual assistance figures as of n/a. FEMA updates both as applications are decided.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2); FEMA, OpenFEMA FEMA Web Disaster Summaries (v1). Data as of September 29, 2026.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
FEMA's page for this declaration
FEMA's own page for this declaration is fema.gov/disaster/1242. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.