Photo: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Bowerston
Bowerston isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bowerston has 420 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 26 claims here since 1978.
What Bowerston 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
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.
Does Bowerston flood? Sometimes: 26 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bowerston, from FEMA’s records.
Bowerston isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Harrison County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bowerston
Disasters that paid out in Bowerston itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Bowerston), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$21K aid approved$22K to the Village of Bowerston for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$20K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides$10K to the Village of Bowerston for repairs
Harrison County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bowerston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bowerston archive →Get ready for what Bowerston faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Bowerston
Does Bowerston flood?
Flood insurance has paid 26 claims in Bowerston since 1978, $189K in all. 3 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Bowerston 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 Harrison County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bowerston?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bowerston’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 Bowerston?
By FEMA money that reached Bowerston, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 9 households applied for aid, $21K approved, and $22K to the Village of Bowerston for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bowerston.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bowerston’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.