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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Keaau · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keaau gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (29%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 55%Earthquakes 29%Volcanic activity 12%

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
Hazard risk
D−
in Hawaii · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2018 · $7K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 20 declared for Hawaii County
By hazard

What Keaau 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

55%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

29%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Volcanic activity

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire top 2% Hurricanes Coastal flooding Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Landslides Lightning Tsunamis top 1%
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 Keaau’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Keaau, and Keaau’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 29%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Keaau sits
Keaau
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Earthquakes29%Volcanic activity12%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Keaau: $3.0M 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 105 aid registrations from Keaau addresses (the town has 523 homes).
Shared tract.All of Keaau’s 1,195 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Kurtistown CDP (2,515 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 Keaau flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Keaau, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Lane1 claim · $7K
1
paid claims since 2018
$7K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Keaau 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.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Keaau

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

  1. 2026Earthquake7 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  2. 2026Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides105 households applied for aid$478K aid approved
  3. 2023Wildfires and High Winds1 households applied for aid$700 aid approved
  4. 2018Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes79 households applied for aid$6K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2006Earthquake38 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KeaauHawaii County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Keaau archive →
Next door

Keaau and its neighbors

Keaau is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Kurtistown: hazard risk D−KurtistownKeaau
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
KurtistownD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding—
KeaauD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding1

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Keaau 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 ↗
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 ↗
Volcanic activity
  • Keep N95 masks and goggles for ash.
  • Know the evacuation routes.
  • Keep ash out of the house and car vents.
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 Keaau

Is Keaau at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keaau has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (29%). 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.

Does Keaau flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Keaau since 2018, $7K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Lane (1).

Is Keaau 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 Keaau?

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

By FEMA money that reached Keaau, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2026): 105 households applied for aid, $478K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Lane: 1 paid, $7K.

Is Keaau at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Keaau’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Keaau.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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