Natural hazards · Kailua

Kailua, HI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Kailua comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 257 claims here since 1978.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Kailua?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Kailua to be higher than in 89% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tsunamis.

Inland flooding48%Tsunamis35%Earthquakes13%Everything else4%

By hazard

What Kailua faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tsunamis

35% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Earthquakes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Winter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesAvalanchesVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Kailua flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kailua, from FEMA’s records.

257paid claims since 1978

$3.5Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

2026-03-KonaStorm: 8 claims, $183K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Kailua 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.

Disasters that hit Kailua

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Honolulu County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kailua itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into KailuaDeclared for Honolulu County only

Honolulu County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Kailua

Kailua and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Kailuamostly inland floodingVery high

Kaneohe Basemostly inland floodingHigh

Waimanalomostly inland floodingHigh

Kaneohemostly inland floodingHigh

Maunawilimostly inland floodingHigh

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Kailua covers 10 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Kailua’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Kailua. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Kailua total about $23.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.