FEMADR-1277-IAMajor disasterDeclared May 21, 1999
DR-1277-IA: Iowa Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Iowa (DR-1277-IA) on May 21, 1999 for the incident of May 16, 1999 to May 29, 1999; it covers 17 designated areas. FEMA had approved obligated $8.5 million in Public Assistance (as of May 17, 2026).
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-1277-IA (also written FEMA-1277-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Iowa
- Incident
- Severe Storm: Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
- Incident period
- May 16, 1999 to May 29, 1999
- Declared
- May 21, 1999
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation
- FEMA region
- 7
- Place in the year
- the first of 2 major disaster declarations for Iowa in 1999
- Status
- closed out on June 29, 2006
- Registration deadline (individual help)
- July 19, 1999
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bremer (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Buchanan (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Butler (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Chickasaw (County) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Clayton (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clinton (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Crawford (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Delaware (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dubuque (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fayette | — | — | Yes | — |
| Fayette (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Harrison (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jones (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Linn (County) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Montgomery (County) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Scott (County) | — | 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?
$8.5 millionPublic Assistance obligated
$2.4 millionHazard Mitigation Grant Program obligated
Individual assistance figures as of n/a, public assistance as of May 17, 2026. FEMA updates both as applications are decided.
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/1277. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.