On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Mokuleia, mostly from tsunamis
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mokuleia gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is tsunamis (54%), then river and rain flooding (28%). 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 Mokuleia faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Tsunamis
River and rain flooding
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 Mokuleia’s grade
Tsunamis are 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mokuleia, and Mokuleia’s rate of tsunamis damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 16%, 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 Mokuleia’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Mokuleia: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mokuleia flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mokuleia. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Mokuleia isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Honolulu County.The storms Mokuleia remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Honolulu County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mokuleia itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Honolulu County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Honolulu County, 2005–2025.
Mokuleia and its neighbors
Mokuleia is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waialua | D−among the highest damage | tsunamis | 22 |
| Mokuleia | D−among the highest damage | tsunamis | 0 |
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 Mokuleia faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Mokuleia
Is Mokuleia at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mokuleia has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is tsunamis (54%) and river and rain flooding (28%). 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 Mokuleia 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 Honolulu County, 54% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mokuleia?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mokuleia’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Mokuleia at risk from tsunamis?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Mokuleia’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mokuleia.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mokuleia’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.