Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Caracas1830 assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 2.5Storms, floods and disasters in Hanalei
Hanalei isn’t graded for hazard risk: Hanalei has 272 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Hanalei 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
Tsunamis
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 Hanalei flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hanalei. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hanalei isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kauai County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hanalei
Disasters that paid out in Hanalei itself (aid to households or repair grants to Hanalei), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides327 households applied for aid$475K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Kauai County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Hanalei after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hanalei archive →Hanalei 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princeville | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Hanalei 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.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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 Hanalei
Is Hanalei 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 Kauai County, 7.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Hanalei?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hanalei’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 Hanalei?
By FEMA money that reached Hanalei, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2018): 327 households applied for aid, $475K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hanalei.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hanalei’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.