FEMADR-597-PRMajor disasterDeclared September 2, 1979
DR-597-PR: Puerto Rico Hurricane David
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Puerto Rico (DR-597-PR) on September 2, 1979 for the incident of September 2, 1979 to September 2, 1979; it covers 72 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-597-PR (also written FEMA-597-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Puerto Rico
- Incident
- Hurricane: Hurricane David
- Incident period
- September 2, 1979 to September 2, 1979
- Declared
- September 2, 1979
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 2
- Place in the year
- the only major disaster declaration for Puerto Rico in 1979
- Status
- closed out on June 30, 1994
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjuntas (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Aguada (Municipio) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Aguas Buenas (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Aibonito (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Anasco (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Arecibo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Arroyo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Barceloneta (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Barranquitas (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Bayamon (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Cabo Rojo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Caguas (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Canovanas (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Carolina (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Catano (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Cayey (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Ceiba (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Ciales (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Cidra (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Coamo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Comerio (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Corozal (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Culebra (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Dorado (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Fajardo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Florida (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Guanica (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Guayama (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Guayanilla (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Guaynabo (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Gurabo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Hormigueros (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Humacao (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Jayuya (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Juana Diaz (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Juncos (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Lajas (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Lares (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Las Marias (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Las Piedras (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Loiza (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Luquillo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Manati (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Maricao (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Maunabo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Mayaguez (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Morovis (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Naguabo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Naranjito (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Orocovis (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Patillas (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Penuelas (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Ponce (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Rincon (Municipio) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Rio Grande (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Sabana Grande (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Salinas (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San German (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San Juan (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San Lorenzo (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| San Sebastian (Municipio) | — | Yes | — | — |
| Santa Isabel (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Toa Alta (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Toa Baja (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Trujillo Alto (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Utuado (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Vega Alta (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Vega Baja (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Vieques (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Villalba (Municipio) | — | — | Yes | — |
| Yabucoa (Municipio) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Yauco (Municipio) | — | 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/597. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.