Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds in Valley County, Montana
Declared Apr 7, 2026. Incident period Dec 17, 2025 – Dec 18, 2025. Households in Valley County could not apply to FEMA under this declaration.
The three programs
Individual Assistance
Households apply to FEMA directly for help with temporary housing, home repairs and other uninsured losses.
Residents of Valley 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 Valley 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 Valley County.
What a major disaster declaration means
A major disaster declaration is the President's broadest disaster declaration. It is the only kind that can switch on the full set of FEMA programs, including help for individual households, rebuilding of public facilities and hazard mitigation. Which of those programs apply is decided area by area.
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 Valley County
Public Assistance by category
The whole declaration
DR-4902-MT designated 32 areas in Montana; households could apply in 0.