Progressive Club, The · Photo: Cantbeatpie · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Kiawah Island than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kiawah Island gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (66%), then coastal flooding (17%). Flood insurance has paid 126 claims here since 1993.
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 stands out about Kiawah Island’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Kiawah Island faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
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 Kiawah Island’s grade
Hurricanes are 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kiawah Island, and Kiawah Island’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 17%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kiawah Island’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.7M a year in losses across Kiawah Island: $10.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kiawah Island flood? Yes: 126 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kiawah Island, from FEMA’s records: 32.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irma55 claims · $306K
- The October severe storms48 claims · $245K
- Hurricane Matthew11 claims · $50K
Kiawah Island is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Charleston County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kiawah Island
Disasters that paid out in Kiawah Island itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Kiawah Island), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma$212K to the Town of Kiawah Island for repairs55 flood claims paid for it, $306K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew1 households applied for aid$127K to the Town of Kiawah Island for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $50K
- 2004Tropical Storm Gaston$2K to the Town of Kiawah Island for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$72K to the Town of Kiawah Island for repairs
Charleston County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Kiawah Island after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kiawah Island archive →Kiawah Island and its neighbors
Kiawah Island has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiawah Island | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 126 |
| Seabrook Island | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 73 |
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 Kiawah Island faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- 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.
- Kiawah Island residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Kiawah Island
Is Kiawah Island at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kiawah Island has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (66%) and coastal flooding (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kiawah Island flood?
Flood insurance has paid 126 claims in Kiawah Island since 1993, $749K in all, or 32.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 14 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (55).
Is Kiawah Island 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 Charleston County, 78% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 31.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kiawah Island?
Kiawah Island is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Kiawah Island?
By FEMA money that reached Kiawah Island, Hurricane Irma (2017): $212K to the Town of Kiawah Island for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 55 paid, $306K.
Is Kiawah Island at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Kiawah Island’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kiawah Island.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kiawah Island’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.