FEMADR-579-MOMajor disasterDeclared April 21, 1979
DR-579-MO: Missouri Tornadoes, Torrential Rain & Flooding
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Missouri (DR-579-MO) on April 21, 1979 for the incident of April 21, 1979 to April 21, 1979; it covers 17 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-579-MO (also written FEMA-579-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Missouri
- Incident
- Tornado: Tornadoes, Torrential Rain & Flooding
- Incident period
- April 21, 1979 to April 21, 1979
- Declared
- April 21, 1979
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 7
- Place in the year
- the only major disaster declaration for Missouri in 1979
- Status
- closed out on May 4, 1984
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Girardeau (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Dunklin (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Jefferson (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Lincoln (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Maries (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mississippi (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| New Madrid (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Pemiscot (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Pike (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Pulaski (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Scott (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| St. Charles (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| St. Louis | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| St. Louis (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Ste. Genevieve (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Stoddard (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Texas (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/579. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.