Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Cowen

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Cowen, WV 26206, USA - panoramio - Idawriter (2)Photo: Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Cowen · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Cowen

Cowen isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cowen has 485 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1984.

Flood claims
5
paid since 1984 · $15K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 18 declared for Webster County
By hazard

What Cowen 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Winter storms Tornadoes Cold waves top 4% Lightning Wildfire Heat waves Landslides Avalanches top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 19% of Cowen’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Cowen flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1984

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 1 claim1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 1 claim1998: 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: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198419851996
19842026
Biggest named events
  • The Summer severe storms1 claim · $7K
5
paid claims since 1984
$15K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$3K
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

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

Insurance rates: Webster County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cowen

Disasters that paid out in Cowen itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cowen), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2016Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides106 households applied for aid$460K aid approved$38K to the Town of Cowen for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2012Hurricane Sandy$3K to the Town of Cowen for repairs
  3. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds22 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides4 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides14 households applied for aid$29K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides13 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CowenWebster County only

Webster County has had 18 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cowen archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Cowen 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 ↗
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 Cowen

Does Cowen flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Cowen since 1984, $15K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Summer severe storms (1).

Is Cowen 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 Webster County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cowen?

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

By FEMA money that reached Cowen, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2016): 106 households applied for aid, $460K approved, and $38K to the Town of Cowen for repairs. By flood claims, Summer severe storms: 1 paid, $7K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cowen.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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