Ewa Beach’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ewa Beach comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2020. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Ewa Beach’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Ewa Beach flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2020
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ewa Beach, from FEMA’s records.
Ewa Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Honolulu County.How exposed is Ewa Beach?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 98% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tsunamis.
Rated higher than 107 of the 163 Hawaii towns we cover.
Ewa Beach covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
What Ewa Beach faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tsunamis
Earthquakes
4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ewa Beach
Disasters that paid out in Ewa Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to Ewa Beach) and its biggest flood years.
- 2026Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides29 households applied for aid$62K aid approved
- 2018Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1 household applied for aid
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding18 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Honolulu County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.
Old photos of Ewa Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ewa Beach archive →Get ready for what Ewa Beach actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Ewa Beach and its neighbors
Ewa Beach has the lowest rating of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ewa Beach | Very high | inland flooding | 2 |
| Ocean Pointe | Very high | inland flooding | 0 |
| Iroquois Point | Very high | inland flooding | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in August–October
The month each of Honolulu County’s 22 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Ewa Beach’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Ewa Beach.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Ewa Beach, expected losses total about $7.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ewa Beach.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.