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Kurtistown signPhoto: Perrinville · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kurtistown · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Kurtistown than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kurtistown gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #84 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (29%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

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#84 of 93 in Hawaii
Hazard risk
D−#84 of 93
in Hawaii · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 20 declared for Hawaii County
By hazard

What Kurtistown 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 Kurtistown’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kurtistown, and Kurtistown’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 Kurtistown sits
Kurtistown
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #84 of 93 in Hawaii; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Kurtistown’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%

The typical Hawaii town has higher expected damage than 96% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kurtistown has more expected damage per building than 90% of Hawaii towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.8M a year in losses across Kurtistown: $6.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kurtistown’s 2,515 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Keaau CDP (1,195 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 Kurtistown flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kurtistown. 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

Kurtistown 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

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kurtistown

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

  1. 2026Earthquake3 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
  2. 2026Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides34 households applied for aid$155K aid approved
  3. 2018Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes19 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  4. 2006Earthquake15 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KurtistownHawaii 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 Kurtistown after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kurtistown archive →
Next door

Kurtistown and its neighbors

Kurtistown is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hawaiian Acres: hazard risk D−Mountain View: hazard risk D−Keaau: hazard risk D−Orchidlands Estates: hazard risk D−Hawaiian AcresMountain ViewKeaauOrchidlands EstatesKurtistown
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
KeaauD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding1
Orchidlands EstatesD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding—
KurtistownD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding0
Hawaiian AcresD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding—
Mountain ViewD−among the highest damageriver and rain flooding—

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 Kurtistown 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 Kurtistown

Is Kurtistown at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kurtistown has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #84 of 93 in Hawaii. 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.

Is Kurtistown 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 Kurtistown?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kurtistown, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2026): 34 households applied for aid, $155K approved.

Is Kurtistown at risk from river and rain flooding?

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

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kurtistown.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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