Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Volcano
Volcano isn’t graded for hazard risk: Volcano has 746 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Volcano 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.
Does Volcano flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Volcano. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Volcano 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.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Volcano
Disasters that paid out in Volcano itself (aid to households or repair grants to Volcano), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides41 households applied for aid$210K aid approved
- 2018Kilauea Volcanic Eruption and Earthquakes106 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
- 2006Earthquake5 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 Volcano after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Volcano archive →Volcano and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View | D−among the highest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Volcano Golf Course | — | 807 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Mauna Loa Estates | — | 901 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 Volcano 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 Volcano
Is Volcano 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 Volcano?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Volcano’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 Volcano?
By FEMA money that reached Volcano, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2026): 41 households applied for aid, $210K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Volcano.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Volcano’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.