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Downtown KaunakakaiPhoto: The original uploader was Sanba38 at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kaunakakai · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Kaunakakai, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kaunakakai gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #75 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then tsunamis (30%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 58%Tsunamis 30%Earthquakes 6%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#75 of 93 in Hawaii
Hazard risk
D−#75 of 93
in Hawaii · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
58% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 19 declared for Maui County
By hazard

What Kaunakakai 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

58%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tsunamis

30%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire top 3% Coastal flooding top 3% Hurricanes Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 3%
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsCold wavesHeat wavesAvalanches

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 Kaunakakai’s grade

River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kaunakakai, and Kaunakakai’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 30%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kaunakakai sits
Kaunakakai
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #75 of 93 in Hawaii; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding58%Tsunamis30%Earthquakes6%Everything else6%

The typical Hawaii town has higher expected damage than 96% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kaunakakai has more expected damage per building than 80% of Hawaii towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.3M a year in losses across Kaunakakai: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides in 2026, FEMA took 204 aid registrations from Kaunakakai addresses (the town has 1,488 homes).
Shared tract.All of Kaunakakai’s 3,419 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Ualapue CDP (393 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Kaunakakai flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Maui County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kaunakakai

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

  1. 2026Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides204 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved
  2. 2023Wildfires and High Winds106 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KaunakakaiMaui County only

Maui County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Also 9 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Maui County, 2006–2025.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Kaunakakai archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Kaunakakai faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Kaunakakai

Is Kaunakakai at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kaunakakai has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #75 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and tsunamis (30%). 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 Kaunakakai 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 Maui County, 4.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Kaunakakai?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kaunakakai, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2026): 204 households applied for aid, $1.3M approved.

Is Kaunakakai at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Kaunakakai’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kaunakakai.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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