FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pahoa than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pahoa 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 (39%). 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 Pahoa 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 Pahoa’s grade
Earthquakes are 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pahoa, and Pahoa’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 39%, 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).
Pahoa’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Pahoa: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pahoa flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pahoa. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pahoa 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pahoa
Disasters that paid out in Pahoa itself (aid to households or repair grants to Pahoa), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Earthquake20 households applied for aid$63K aid approved
- 2026Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides396 households applied for aid$2.6M aid approved
- 2023Wildfires and High Winds1 households applied for aid$700 aid approved
- 2018Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes2,458 households applied for aid$13.1M aid approved
- 2006Earthquake50 households applied for aid$26K 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 Pahoa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pahoa archive →Pahoa and its neighbors
Pahoa is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian Beaches | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Nanawale Estates | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pahoa | D−among the highest damage | earthquakes | 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 Pahoa 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 Pahoa
Is Pahoa at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pahoa 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 (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pahoa 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 Pahoa?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pahoa’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 Pahoa?
By FEMA money that reached Pahoa, Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes (2018): 2,458 households applied for aid, $13.1M approved.
Is Pahoa at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Pahoa’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pahoa.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pahoa’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.