FEMADR-4543-NCMajor disasterDeclared May 8, 2020
DR-4543-NC: North Carolina Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for North Carolina (DR-4543-NC) on May 8, 2020 for the incident of February 6, 2020 to February 19, 2020; it covers 19 designated areas. FEMA had approved obligated $13.6 million in Public Assistance (as of May 17, 2026).
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-4543-NC (also written FEMA-4543-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- North Carolina
- Incident
- Severe Storm: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
- Incident period
- February 6, 2020 to February 19, 2020
- Declared
- May 8, 2020
- Programs declared
- Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation
- FEMA region
- 4
- Place in the year
- the second of 3 major disaster declarations for North Carolina in 2020
- Status
- open (not yet closed out by FEMA)
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 | Public Assistance | Hazard Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Ashe (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Cherokee (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Cleveland (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Gaston (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Graham (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Madison (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Mitchell (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Pender (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Perquimans (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Polk (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Randolph (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Rutherford (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Stanly (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Stokes (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Swain (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Wayne (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Yadkin (County) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Yancey (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?
$13.6 millionPublic Assistance obligated
$2.3 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.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
FEMA's page for this declaration
FEMA's own page for this declaration is fema.gov/disaster/4543. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.