Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park · Photo: W Nowicki · CC BY 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Kaiminani than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kaiminani gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #65 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then earthquakes (32%). 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 Kaiminani 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 Kaiminani’s grade
River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kaiminani, and Kaiminani’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 32%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #65 of 93 in Hawaii; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kaiminani’s residents live in 5 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, Kaiminani has more expected damage per building than 70% of Hawaii towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.5M a year in losses across Kaiminani: $13.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kaiminani flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kaiminani. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Kaiminani 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 Kaiminani remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Hawaii County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kaiminani itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Kaiminani and its neighbors
Kaiminani is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Kaiminani 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 Kaiminani
Is Kaiminani at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kaiminani has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #65 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and earthquakes (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Kaiminani 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 Kaiminani?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kaiminani’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kaiminani at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Kaiminani’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kaiminani.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kaiminani’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.