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Town PointTown Point · Photo: Jack E. Boucher, photographer · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Bowers · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bowers

Bowers isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bowers has 270 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 67 claims here since 1980.

Flood claims
67
paid since 1980 · $533K
Flooded more than once
9
properties · 2 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
1
of 12 declared for Kent County
By hazard

What Bowers faces

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

Coastal flooding

59%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

28%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 8% of Bowers’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Bowers flood? Sometimes: 67 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bowers, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 9 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 7 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 12 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 8 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 3 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 15 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 3 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 5 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019922008
19802026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene3 claims · $6K
  • The December Storm - nor’easter1 claim · $2K
  • Hurricane Sandy1 claim · $3K
67
paid claims since 1980
$533K
paid to owners
9
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Kent County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bowers

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

  1. 2003Snow$8K to the Town of Bowers for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BowersKent County only

Kent County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bowers archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bowers 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 tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Bowers

Does Bowers flood?

Flood insurance has paid 67 claims in Bowers since 1980, $533K in all. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).

Is Bowers 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 Kent County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bowers?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bowers’ 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 Bowers?

By FEMA money that reached Bowers, Snow (2003): $8K to the Town of Bowers for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $6K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bowers.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bowers’ 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.