FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pahala than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pahala gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (46%), then river and rain flooding (42%). 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 Pahala faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Pahala’s grade
Earthquakes are 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pahala, and Pahala’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 42%, 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 Pahala’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Pahala: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pahala flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pahala. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pahala 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.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pahala
Disasters that paid out in Pahala itself (aid to households or repair grants to Pahala), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$60K aid approved
- 2006Earthquake5 households applied for aid$6K 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 Pahala after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pahala archive →Get ready for what Pahala faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Pahala
Is Pahala at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pahala has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (46%) and river and rain flooding (42%). 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 Pahala 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 Pahala?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pahala’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 Pahala?
By FEMA money that reached Pahala, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2026): 8 households applied for aid, $60K approved.
Is Pahala at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Pahala’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pahala.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pahala’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.