FEMADR-253-CAMajor disasterDeclared January 26, 1969
DR-253-CA: California Severe Storms & Flooding
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for California (DR-253-CA) on January 26, 1969 for the incident of January 26, 1969 to January 26, 1969; it covers 37 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-253-CA (also written FEMA-253-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- California
- Incident
- Flood: Severe Storms & Flooding
- Incident period
- January 26, 1969 to January 26, 1969
- Declared
- January 26, 1969
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 9
- Place in the year
- the first of 2 major disaster declarations for California in 1969
- Status
- closed out on April 19, 1976
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amador (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Contra Costa (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| El Dorado (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Fresno (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Humboldt (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Inyo (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Kern (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Kings (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Los Angeles (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Madera (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Marin (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mariposa (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mendocino (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Merced (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Modoc (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mono (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Monterey (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Orange (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Placer (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Plumas (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Riverside (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Sacramento (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San Benito (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San Bernardino (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San Joaquin (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San Luis Obispo (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Santa Barbara (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Shasta (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Sierra (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Solano (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Sonoma (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Stanislaus (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Tehama (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Tulare (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Tuolumne (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Ventura (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Yuba (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/253. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.