FEMADR-585-TNMajor disasterDeclared May 7, 1979
DR-585-TN: Tennessee Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Tennessee (DR-585-TN) on May 7, 1979 for the incident of May 7, 1979 to May 7, 1979; it covers 14 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-585-TN (also written FEMA-585-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Tennessee
- Incident
- Severe Storm: Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
- Incident period
- May 7, 1979 to May 7, 1979
- Declared
- May 7, 1979
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 4
- Place in the year
- the only major disaster declaration for Tennessee in 1979
- Status
- closed out on September 26, 1985
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crockett (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Davidson (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Decatur (County) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Dyer (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Gibson (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Henderson (County) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Hickman (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Lauderdale (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Maury (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Perry (County) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Rutherford (County) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Smith (County) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Williamson (County) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Wilson (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?
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/585. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.