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Huilua FishpondHuilua Fishpond · Photo: Joel Bradshaw · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kaaawa · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Kaaawa than in 98% of U.S. towns, led by tsunamis

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kaaawa gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is tsunamis (49%), then river and rain flooding (46%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Tsunamis 49%River and rain flooding 46%Earthquakes 2%

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

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Hawaii · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Tsunamis
49% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 18 declared for Honolulu County
By hazard

What Kaaawa faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Tsunamis

49%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

46%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire Coastal flooding Hurricanes Tornadoes Lightning Hail Strong wind Landslides top 4%
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsCold wavesHeat wavesAvalanchesVolcanic 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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Kaaawa’s grade

Tsunamis are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kaaawa, and Kaaawa’s rate of tsunamis damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 46%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kaaawa sits
Kaaawa
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Kaaawa’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Tsunamis49%River and rain flooding46%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $795K a year in losses across Kaaawa: $657K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kaaawa’s 1,421 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Kaaawa flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kaaawa. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Honolulu County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kaaawa

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides21 households applied for aid$208K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
  3. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides39 households applied for aid$49K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KaaawaHonolulu County only

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

Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Honolulu County, 2005–2025.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Kaaawa archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Kaaawa faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Tsunamis
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 Kaaawa

Is Kaaawa at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kaaawa has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is tsunamis (49%) and river and rain flooding (46%). 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 Kaaawa 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 Honolulu County, 54% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kaaawa?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kaaawa, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2026): 21 households applied for aid, $208K approved.

Is Kaaawa at risk from tsunamis?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Kaaawa’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kaaawa.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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