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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fowler · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Fowler as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fowler gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 93%Earthquakes 4%Ice storms 2%

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 59%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in New York · higher than 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
93% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1998 · $109K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
3
of 13 declared for St. Lawrence County
By hazard

What Fowler 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

93%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Tornadoes Hurricanes Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Hail 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 cold waves at 13% of Fowler’s 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Fowler’s grade

River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fowler, and Fowler’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fowler sits
Fowler
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Fowler’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding93%Earthquakes4%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $795K a year in losses across Fowler: $656K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Fowler’s 2,142 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Russell town (1,872 residents) and Edwards town (1,015 residents) and Hailesboro CDP (544 residents) and Edwards CDP (361 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Fowler flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fowler, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 2 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820172024
19982026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Debby1 claim · $55K
4
paid claims since 1998
$109K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$27K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: St. Lawrence County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fowler

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

  1. 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$293K to the Town of Fowler for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $55K
  2. 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$9K to the Town of Fowler for repairs
  3. 1999Snow$3K to the Town of Fowler for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FowlerSt. Lawrence County only

St. Lawrence County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Fowler archive →
Next door

Fowler and its neighbors

Fowler is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Edwards: not gradedGouverneur: hazard risk BAntwerp: hazard risk CHermon: hazard risk A−Rossie: not gradedHailesboro: not gradedPitcairn: not gradedDiana: hazard risk B−EdwardsGouverneurAntwerpHermonRossieHailesboroPitcairnDianaFowler
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HermonA−less damage than 83%river and rain flooding1
GouverneurBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding2
DianaB−less damage than 52%river and rain flooding2
FowlerC+more damage than 59%river and rain flooding4
AntwerpCmore damage than 66%river and rain flooding5
Edwards—not graded yet
Rossie—785 residents; we grade 1,000+
Hailesboro—583 residents; we grade 1,000+
Pitcairn—833 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 Fowler 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 ↗
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 Fowler

Is Fowler at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fowler has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Fowler flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Fowler since 1998, $109K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Debby (1).

Is Fowler 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 St. Lawrence County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Fowler?

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

By FEMA money that reached Fowler, Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby (2024): $293K to the Town of Fowler for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Debby: 1 paid, $55K.

Is Fowler at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Fowler’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fowler.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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