FEMADR-578-ALMajor disasterDeclared April 18, 1979
DR-578-AL: Alabama Storms, Wind, Flooding
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Alabama (DR-578-AL) on April 18, 1979 for the incident of April 18, 1979 to April 18, 1979; it covers 28 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-578-AL (also written FEMA-578-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Alabama
- Incident
- Flood: Storms, Wind, Flooding
- Incident period
- April 18, 1979 to April 18, 1979
- Declared
- April 18, 1979
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 4
- Place in the year
- the first of 2 major disaster declarations for Alabama in 1979
- Status
- closed out on June 2, 1987
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autauga (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Chambers (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Chilton (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Choctaw (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Clay (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Coosa (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Dallas (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| DeKalb (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Elmore (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Etowah (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Fayette (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Greene (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Hale (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Houston (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Jefferson (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Lamar (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Marengo (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Marshall (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Montgomery (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Pickens (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Randolph (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Shelby (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| St. Clair (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Sumter (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Talladega (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Tallapoosa (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Tuscaloosa (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Walker (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?
FEMA has published no assistance totals for this declaration.
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/578. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.