FEMADR-637-ASMajor disasterDeclared March 24, 1981
DR-637-AS: American Samoa Typhoon Esau
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for American Samoa (DR-637-AS) on March 24, 1981 for the incident of March 24, 1981 to March 24, 1981; it covers 5 designated areas.
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-637-AS (also written FEMA-637-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- American Samoa
- Incident
- Typhoon: Typhoon Esau
- Incident period
- March 24, 1981 to March 24, 1981
- Declared
- March 24, 1981
- Programs declared
- Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance
- FEMA region
- 9
- Place in the year
- the only major disaster declaration for American Samoa in 1981
- Status
- closed out on April 23, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern (District) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Manu'a (District) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Rose Island (Island) (County-equivalent) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Swains Island (Island) (County-equivalent) | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Western (District) | — | 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/637. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application.