FEMADR-196-WAMajor disasterDeclared May 11, 1965
DR-196-WA: Washington Earthquake
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Washington (DR-196-WA) on May 11, 1965 for the incident of May 11, 1965 to May 11, 1965; it covers 6 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-196-WA (also written FEMA-196-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Washington
- Incident
- Earthquake: Earthquake
- Incident period
- May 11, 1965 to May 11, 1965
- Declared
- May 11, 1965
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 10
- Place in the year
- the only major disaster declaration for Washington in 1965
- Status
- closed out on December 17, 1968
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Kitsap (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mason (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Pierce (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Snohomish (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Thurston (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/196. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.