FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Fern Forest than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fern Forest gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (33%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Fern Forest 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
Earthquakes
Volcanic activity
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.
What’s behind Fern Forest’s grade
River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fern Forest, and Fern Forest’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 33%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fern Forest’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Fern Forest: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fern Forest flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Fern Forest. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Fern Forest isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hawaii County.The storms Fern Forest remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Hawaii County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fern Forest itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Hawaii County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Also 11 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Hawaii County, 2000–2026.
Fern Forest and its neighbors
Fern Forest is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Roc | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fern Forest | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Mountain View | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Royal Hawaiian Estates | — | 852 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Fern Forest 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Keep N95 masks and goggles for ash.
- Know the evacuation routes.
- Keep ash out of the house and car vents.
- 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 Fern Forest
Is Fern Forest at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fern Forest has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and earthquakes (33%). 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.
Is Fern Forest 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 Hawaii County, 1.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Fern Forest?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fern Forest’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Fern Forest at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Fern Forest’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fern Forest.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fern Forest’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.