Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 2.5Storms, floods and disasters in Pittman Center
Pittman Center isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pittman Center has 583 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2022.
What Pittman Center 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 Pittman Center flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2022
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pittman Center, from FEMA’s records.
- The Tennessee Flash Flooding3 claims · $255K
Pittman Center isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sevier County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pittman Center
Disasters that paid out in Pittman Center itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Pittman Center), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$8K to the Town of Pittman Center for repairs
Sevier County has had 16 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Sevier County, 2000–2016.
Old photos of Pittman Center after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pittman Center archive →Pittman Center 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gatlinburg | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 54 |
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 Pittman Center 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 Pittman Center
Does Pittman Center flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Pittman Center since 2022, $255K in all. The most claims came from Tennessee Flash Flooding (3).
Is Pittman Center 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 Sevier County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pittman Center?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pittman Center’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 Pittman Center?
By FEMA money that reached Pittman Center, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2019): $8K to the Town of Pittman Center for repairs. By flood claims, Tennessee Flash Flooding: 3 paid, $255K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pittman Center.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pittman Center’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.