Keauhou Holua Slide · Photo: W Nowicki · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Kahaluu-Keauhou than in 95% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kahaluu-Keauhou gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #45 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%), then earthquakes (44%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 2004.
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 Kahaluu-Keauhou 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
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 Kahaluu-Keauhou’s grade
River and rain flooding is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kahaluu-Keauhou, and Kahaluu-Keauhou’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 44%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #45 of 93 in Hawaii; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kahaluu-Keauhou’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Hawaii town has higher expected damage than 96% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kahaluu-Keauhou has less expected damage per building than 52% of Hawaii towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.8M a year in losses across Kahaluu-Keauhou: $5.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kahaluu-Keauhou flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kahaluu-Keauhou, from FEMA’s records: 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kahaluu-Keauhou 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 Kahaluu-Keauhou remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Hawaii County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kahaluu-Keauhou itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20226 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20263 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Nolo, declared for Hawaii County
- 20072 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, High Surf, Flooding, and Mudslides, declared for Hawaii County
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.
Old photos of Kahaluu-Keauhou after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kahaluu-Keauhou archive →Kahaluu-Keauhou and its neighbors
Kahaluu-Keauhou has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahaluu-Keauhou | D−more damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Kailua | D−more damage than 97% | earthquakes | 19 |
| Kealakekua | D−more damage than 98% | earthquakes | 6 |
| Holualoa | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Honalo | D−more damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Kahaluu-Keauhou 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.
- 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 Kahaluu-Keauhou
Is Kahaluu-Keauhou at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kahaluu-Keauhou has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #45 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%) and earthquakes (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kahaluu-Keauhou flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Kahaluu-Keauhou since 2004, $2.2M in all, or 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kahaluu-Keauhou 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 Kahaluu-Keauhou?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kahaluu-Keauhou’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kahaluu-Keauhou at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Kahaluu-Keauhou’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kahaluu-Keauhou.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kahaluu-Keauhou’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.