Photo: Travis.Thurston · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Kailua’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kailua gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #36 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then tsunamis (37%). Flood insurance has paid 257 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Kailua’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Kailua 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
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 Kailua’s grade
River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kailua, and Kailua’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 37%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #36 of 93 in Hawaii; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kailua’s residents live in 11 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, Kailua has less expected damage per building than 62% of Hawaii towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $24.3M a year in losses across Kailua: $22.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kailua flood? Yes: 257 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kailua, from FEMA’s records: 17.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The 2026-03-KonaStorm8 claims · $183K
Kailua 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.The storms Kailua remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Honolulu County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kailua itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198764 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides and Flooding, declared for Honolulu County
- 198862 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200623 flood claims paidThe year of Earthquake, declared for Honolulu County
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.
Old photos of Kailua after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kailua archive →Kailua and its neighbors
Kailua is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maunawili | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Kaneohe | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Waimanalo | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Kaneohe Base | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Kailua | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 257 |
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 Kailua 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.
- 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 Kailua
Is Kailua at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kailua has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #36 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and tsunamis (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kailua flood?
Flood insurance has paid 257 claims in Kailua since 1978, $3.5M in all, or 17.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from 2026-03-KonaStorm (8).
Is Kailua 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 Kailua?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kailua’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 Kailua?
By flood claims, 2026-03-KonaStorm: 8 paid, $183K.
Is Kailua at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Kailua’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kailua.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kailua’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.