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Cowarts, Alabama Post OfficePhoto: The Bushranger · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cowarts · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Cowarts faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cowarts gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then hurricanes (27%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2024.

River and rain flooding 64%Hurricanes 27%Tornadoes 8%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Alabama · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2024 · $22K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 23 declared for Houston County
By hazard

What Cowarts faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

64%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

27%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Hail Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 21% of Cowarts’ expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (7.7%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Cowarts’ grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cowarts, and Cowarts’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 27% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Cowarts sits
Cowarts
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Cowarts’ residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Hurricanes27%Tornadoes8%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $843K a year in losses across Cowarts: $560K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Cowarts covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Cowarts flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2024

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cowarts, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2024
20242026
1
paid claims since 2024
$22K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$22K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Cowarts isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Houston County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cowarts

Disasters that paid out in Cowarts itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cowarts), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes and Straight-line8 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
  2. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$17K to the Town of Cowarts for repairs
  3. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$6K to the Town of Cowarts for repairs
  4. 2005Hurricane Dennis$15K to the Town of Cowarts for repairs
  5. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Cowarts for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$85K to the Town of Cowarts for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CowartsHouston County only

Houston County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Cowarts after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Cowarts archive →
Next door

Cowarts and its neighbors

Cowarts is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Avon: not gradedDothan: hazard risk C+AvonDothanCowarts
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DothanC+more damage than 65%river and rain flooding93
CowartsC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding1
Avon—378 residents; we grade 1,000+

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Cowarts faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Cowarts

Is Cowarts at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cowarts has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and hurricanes (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Cowarts flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cowarts since 2024, $22K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Cowarts in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Houston County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cowarts?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cowarts’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Cowarts?

By FEMA money that reached Cowarts, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): $85K to the Town of Cowarts for repairs.

Is Cowarts at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Cowarts’ rate for it is higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cowarts.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cowarts’ residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.