Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding in Lake County, Indiana
Declared Aug 15, 2026. Incident period Aug 11, 2026 – continuing. So far, households in Lake County can't apply to FEMA under this declaration; FEMA can still add help for households, or follow with a major disaster declaration, as damage is assessed.
The three programs
Individual Assistance
Households apply to FEMA directly for help with temporary housing, home repairs and other uninsured losses.
Residents of Lake County could not apply to FEMA under this declaration.
Public Assistance
FEMA reimburses state and local governments, tribes and some nonprofits for debris removal, emergency response and rebuilding public roads, buildings and utilities.
Local governments in Lake County could be reimbursed. Residents don't apply for this.
Hazard Mitigation
Grants for projects that reduce future damage, such as buyouts of flood-prone homes, elevating buildings or safe rooms. Local governments apply, not homeowners. Often declared statewide.
No mitigation grants tied to this declaration for Lake County.
What an emergency declaration means
An emergency declaration is narrower and usually comes fast, often before or during an event. It mostly pays for emergency work such as evacuations, shelters and debris clearance, and federal help under one is capped at $5 million unless the President finds that more is urgently needed and reports that to Congress. Help for individual households is rare under an emergency declaration.
Why the dates matter
The incident period is the official window of the disaster. Damage generally has to happen inside it to count for FEMA assistance. Other help follows disaster declarations under each agency's own rules: IRS deadline relief, special enrollment periods for health coverage, disaster SNAP and SBA loans. Some can start without a FEMA declaration at all, and disaster SNAP needs Individual Assistance. Check with each agency.
How it unfolded
FEMA spending in Lake County
No spending has been recorded for this county yet. FEMA obligates money over months and years after a declaration.
The whole declaration
EM-3651-IN designated 53 areas in Indiana; households could apply in 0.