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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Pownal Center · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Pownal Center

Pownal Center isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pownal Center has 456 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1979.

Flood claims
8
paid since 1979 · $68K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 18 declared for Bennington County
By hazard

What Pownal 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Lightning top 3% Winter storms Wildfire Landslides Hail Cold waves Heat waves
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 29% of Pownal Center’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Pownal Center flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pownal Center, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 2 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 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: 5 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 claims197919812011
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $59K
8
paid claims since 1979
$68K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pownal 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: Bennington County.
Disasters

The storms Pownal Center remembers

None of the 18 disasters declared for Bennington County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pownal Center itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20115 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Irene, declared for Bennington County
  2. 19812 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Pownal CenterBennington County only

Bennington County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Pownal Center archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pownal 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.

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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 Pownal Center

Does Pownal Center flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Pownal Center since 1979, $68K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).

Is Pownal 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 Bennington County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pownal Center?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $59K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pownal Center.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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