Kilauea School · Photo: Joel Bradshaw · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Kilauea faces more hazard damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kilauea gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #34 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). 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 Kilauea 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
Wildfire
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 Kilauea’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kilauea, and Kilauea’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 8%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #34 of 93 in Hawaii; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kilauea’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Hawaii town has higher expected damage than 96% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kilauea has less expected damage per building than 64% of Hawaii towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Kilauea: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kilauea flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kilauea. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Kilauea isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kauai County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kilauea
Disasters that paid out in Kilauea itself (aid to households or repair grants to Kilauea), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides28 households applied for aid$49K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides40 households applied for aid$52K aid approved
Kauai County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Kilauea after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kilauea archive →Kilauea and its neighbors
Kilauea has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilauea | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Kalihiwai | — | 219 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Kilauea 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Kilauea
Is Kilauea at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kilauea has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #34 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and tsunamis (8%). 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 Kilauea 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 Kauai County, 7.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Kilauea?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kilauea’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 Kilauea?
By FEMA money that reached Kilauea, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2006): 40 households applied for aid, $52K approved.
Is Kilauea at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Kilauea’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kilauea.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kilauea’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.