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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Cowan · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Cowan than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cowan gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 10%Earthquakes 5%

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 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Tennessee · higher than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1993 · $8K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Flood claims per home
5 per 1,000
more than 62% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Cowan 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

80%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Hurricanes Lightning Cold waves Wildfire 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 19% of Cowan’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Cowan’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cowan, and Cowan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Cowan sits
Cowan
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Tornadoes10%Earthquakes5%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $800K a year in losses across Cowan: $474K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Cowan’s 1,759 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Cowan flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cowan, from FEMA’s records: 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 1 claim1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 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: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199319941995
19932026
4
paid claims since 1993
$8K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Franklin County.
Disasters

The storms Cowan remembers

None of the 11 disasters declared for Franklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cowan itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm, declared for Franklin County
  2. 19941 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Ice Storm,flash Flooding, declared for Franklin County
  3. 19951 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CowanFranklin County only

Franklin County has had 11 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cowan archive →
Next door

Cowan and its neighbors

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

Winchester: hazard risk C+WinchesterCowan
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
WinchesterC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding3
CowanCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding4

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 Cowan 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 ↗
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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Cowan

Is Cowan at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cowan has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (10%). 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 Cowan flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Cowan since 1993, $8K in all, or 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Cowan 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 Franklin County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cowan?

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

Is Cowan at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Cowan’s rate for it is higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cowan.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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