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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pepeekeo · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Pepeekeo, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pepeekeo 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 (73%), then earthquakes (24%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 73%Earthquakes 24%Wildfire 2%

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
Hazard risk
D−
in Hawaii · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
73% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 20 declared for Hawaii County
By hazard

What Pepeekeo 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

73%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

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire top 4% Volcanic activity top 0% Tsunamis top 1% Hurricanes Coastal flooding Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Landslides Lightning
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 Pepeekeo’s grade

River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pepeekeo, and Pepeekeo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Earthquakes add 24%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pepeekeo sits
Pepeekeo
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Pepeekeo’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding73%Earthquakes24%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Pepeekeo: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pepeekeo’s 1,826 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Papaikou CDP (1,166 residents) and Honomu CDP (452 residents) and Paukaa CDP (434 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 Pepeekeo flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

Pepeekeo 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

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pepeekeo

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

  1. 2006Earthquake10 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PepeekeoHawaii 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 Pepeekeo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pepeekeo archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pepeekeo 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 ↗
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 Pepeekeo

Is Pepeekeo at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pepeekeo 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 (73%) and earthquakes (24%). 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 Pepeekeo 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 Pepeekeo?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pepeekeo, Earthquake (2006): 10 households applied for aid, $5K approved.

Is Pepeekeo at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Pepeekeo’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pepeekeo.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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