On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Leilani Estates, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Leilani Estates 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 (54%), then earthquakes (31%). 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 Leilani Estates 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
Volcanic activity
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 Leilani Estates’ grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Leilani Estates, and Leilani Estates’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 31%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Leilani Estates’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Leilani Estates: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Leilani Estates flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Leilani Estates. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Leilani Estates 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Leilani Estates
Disasters that paid out in Leilani Estates itself (aid to households or repair grants to Leilani Estates), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2018Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
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.
Old photos of Leilani Estates after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Leilani Estates archive →Leilani Estates and its neighbors
Leilani Estates 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leilani Estates | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Kamaili | — | 221 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 Leilani Estates 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.
- Keep N95 masks and goggles for ash.
- Know the evacuation routes.
- Keep ash out of the house and car vents.
- 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 Leilani Estates
Is Leilani Estates at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Leilani Estates 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 (54%) and earthquakes (31%). 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 Leilani Estates 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 Leilani Estates?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Leilani Estates’ 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 Leilani Estates?
By FEMA money that reached Leilani Estates, Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes (2018): 1 households applied for aid, $3K approved.
Is Leilani Estates at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Leilani Estates’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Leilani Estates.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Leilani Estates’ 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.