Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Bowmanstown
Bowmanstown isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bowmanstown has 968 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2012.
What Bowmanstown 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 Bowmanstown flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bowmanstown, from FEMA’s records.
Bowmanstown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Carbon County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bowmanstown
Disasters that paid out in Bowmanstown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Bowmanstown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Carbon County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Bowmanstown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bowmanstown archive →Bowmanstown and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Penn Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Lower Towamensing Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Palmerton | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
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.
Get ready for what Bowmanstown 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 Bowmanstown
Does Bowmanstown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bowmanstown since 2012, $8K in all.
Is Bowmanstown 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 Carbon County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bowmanstown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bowmanstown’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 Bowmanstown?
By FEMA money that reached Bowmanstown, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2006): 1 households applied for aid, $4K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bowmanstown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bowmanstown’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.