More hazard damage per building is expected in Hanamaulu than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hanamaulu gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #18 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then tsunamis (16%). 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 Hanamaulu 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
Wildfire
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 Hanamaulu’s grade
River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hanamaulu, and Hanamaulu’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 16%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #18 of 93 in Hawaii; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hanamaulu’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Hawaii town has higher expected damage than 96% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hanamaulu has less expected damage per building than 82% of Hawaii towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Hanamaulu: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hanamaulu flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hanamaulu. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hanamaulu 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.The storms Hanamaulu remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Kauai County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hanamaulu itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Kauai County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Hanamaulu and its neighbors
Hanamaulu is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lihue | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Hanamaulu | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Hanamaulu 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Hanamaulu
Is Hanamaulu at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hanamaulu has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #18 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and tsunamis (16%). 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 Hanamaulu 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 Hanamaulu?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hanamaulu’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hanamaulu at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Hanamaulu’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hanamaulu.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hanamaulu’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.