Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Kauai County, HI

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
15007
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2031-04-30. Plan: Kauai County (FEMA plan 111636), approved 2026-05-01.

Since the plan was approved on 2026-05-01: 1 new hazard declaration (1 incident) and 0 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($47,667,097 a year), Tsunami ($8,627,482) and Wildfire ($2,616,951).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2031-04-30
Plan:
Kauai County (FEMA plan 111636)
Approved:
2026-05-01
Days to expiry:
1,673

What changed since your last plan (approved 2026-05-01)

New federal declarations:
1 new hazard declaration (1 incident): EM-3654-HI (Tropical Storm Nolo)
Storm Events records since approval:
0 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 7, SRL 6 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 56
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiry
Kauai CountyCountyApproved, expires 2031-04-30Kauai County (FEMA plan 111636)2026-05-012031-04-301,673

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countWhy this hazard can be left outNRI Not Applicable, no declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996Storm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$34,837,858$202,000$12,627,240$47,667,097202
2TsunamiRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$8,627,482n/a$0$8,627,4820No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
3WildfireRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$2,456,564$367$160,020$2,616,95125
4LightningRelatively HighRelatively High$46,506n/a$959,605$1,006,1124
5HurricaneRelatively LowRelatively Low$355,622$4,120$35,658$395,3990Declared 6 times; no Storm Events record of this type.
6EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$182,819n/a$27,363$210,182Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
7LandslideRelatively ModerateRelatively Low$165,966n/a$104$166,0698
8Coastal FloodingRelatively LowRelatively Low$140,052n/a$306$140,3580No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
9DroughtVery LowVery Lown/a$17,655n/a$17,65568
10Strong WindVery LowVery Low$2,058$120$3,630$5,80859Includes 38 High Wind and 11 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
11TornadoVery LowVery Low$4,753$28$195$4,9753
12Cold WaveNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0$0$0$00No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13HailNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0$0$0$01
14Heat WaveNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0$0$0$00No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
15Volcanic ActivityNo RatingNo Expected Annual Losses$0n/a$0$00No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
Winter WeatherNot ApplicableNot Applicable1NRI rates this Not Applicable, but 1 Storm Events record of this type exists since 1996; review before omitting.

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local tsunami and volcanic activity records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche and ice storm. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Coastal Flooding and Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 405 (Relatively Low, 68.9); tract 406.03 (Relatively Low, 42.0); tract 403.02 (Very Low, 40.6)
Hurricanetract 405 (Relatively Low, 68.1); tract 401.06 (Relatively Low, 63.9); tract 401.05 (Relatively Low, 63.7)
Landslidetract 408 (Relatively Moderate, 99.2); tract 401.05 (Relatively Moderate, 98.8); tract 409 (Relatively Moderate, 98.6)
Tornadotract 405 (Very Low, 2.7); tract 406.03 (Very Low, 1.9); tract 409 (Very Low, 1.9)
Tsunamitract 409 (Relatively Moderate, 94.9); tract 403.02 (Relatively Moderate, 94.7); tract 402.05 (Relatively Moderate, 93.8)
Volcanic Activityno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Wildfiretract 406.04 (Relatively High, 98.2); tract 407.01 (Relatively High, 97.2); tract 9400 (Relatively High, 97.1)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 405 is Census Tract 405). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Coastal Flood, Storm Surge/Tidenone in data (flood depth: FIRM)0Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map.
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill0
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)68 records, 1996 to 2025 (68 zone-level)3 days to 168 days (median 59 days); 23 with a recorded value168 days (about 5.5 months), 2012-08-01 to 2013-01-15, a run of 6 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)1 record, 20120.75 in; 1 with a recorded value0.75 in hail, 2012-03-09No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)0
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)202 records, 1996 to 2026Flash Flood, 2020-03-28, $30,600,000 property; $0 crops (2020 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)8 records, 2013 to 2021Debris Flow, 2021-03-06, $3,900,000 property; $0 crops (2021 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)4 records, 2002 to 2017Lightning, 2017-08-20, $10,000 property; $0 crops (2017 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)49 records, 1996 to 2026 (49 zone-level)39 kt (45 mph) to 109 kt (125 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 36 with a recorded value109 kt (125 mph), measurement type not recorded, High Wind, 1996-02-10; NWS zone HIZ003High Wind, 1996-03-03, $600,000 property; $500,000 crops (zone total, 1996 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)10 records, 1996 to 202448 kt (55 mph) to 65 kt (75 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 9 with a recorded value65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2005-01-08No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)6 records, 1967 to 2008F/EF0; 3 with a recorded valueF0 tornado, 2002-03-24, 1 mi within this county, 30 yd wide, $60,000 property; crops not reported (2002 dollars)Tornado, 1967-12-17, $250,000 property; crops not recorded (1967 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Tsunaminone (count and damage only)0
Volcanic Ash, Volcanic AshfallVolcanic Explosivity Index (local data)0
Wildfireacres burned (local data)25 records, 1999 to 2024 (21 zone-level)Wildfire, 2011-08-17, $950,000 property; $0 crops (2011 dollars); NWS zone HIZ002No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan. Zone-level records (21) apply countywide.
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)1 record, 1996 (1 zone-level)No damage reported in 1 record.Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow, lightning, tsunami and volcanic ash, volcanic ashfall.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 18 declarations covering 15 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2026-09-252026-09-23EM-3654-HIEmergencyTropical Storm NoloHurricane (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding, Landslidenot yet in FEMA's PA summaries (they cover declarations through 2026-06-30)new since last plan; within last 5 years
2024-06-172024-04-11DR-4793-HIMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and LandslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide$553,826.11within last 5 years
2020-07-252020-07-23EM-3529-HIEmergencyHurricane DouglasHurricaneno Public Assistance recorded
2020-07-092020-03-27DR-4549-HIMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$468,684.49
2020-04-012020-01-20DR-4510-HIMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$740,253.72
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3431-HIEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4510
2018-09-272018-08-22DR-4395-HIMajor disasterHurricane LaneHurricane$374,792.97
2018-09-122018-09-09EM-3404-HIEmergencyTropical Storm OliviaHurricaneno Public Assistance recorded
2018-08-222018-08-22EM-3399-HIEmergencyHurricane LaneHurricaneno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4395
2018-05-082018-04-13DR-4365-HIMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Landslide$8,678,755.67
2012-04-182012-03-03DR-4062-HIMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and LandslidesInland Flooding; Landslide$1,375,746.48
2009-01-052008-12-10DR-1814-HIMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$100,253.90
2008-02-062007-12-04DR-1743-HIMajor disasterSevere Storms, High Surf, Flooding, and MudslidesInland Flooding; Landslide$6,152.93
2006-10-172006-10-15DR-1664-HIMajor disasterEarthquakeEarthquake$860.73
2006-05-022006-02-20DR-1640-HIMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and MudslidesInland Flooding; Landslide$1,093,853.97
1992-09-121992-09-11DR-961-HIMajor disasterHurricane InikiHurricaneno Public Assistance recorded
1982-11-271982-11-27DR-671-HIMajor disasterTyphoon IwaHurricaneno Public Assistance recorded
1974-05-071974-05-07DR-433-HIMajor disasterHeavy Rains & FloodingInland FloodingPA not declared for this county

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1963-04-241963-04-24DR-152-HIMajor disasterHeavy Rains & FloodingInland Flooding
1960-05-251960-05-25DR-101-HIMajor disasterTidal WavesTsunami
1960-01-211960-01-21DR-96-HIMajor disasterEarthquakes & Volcanic DisturbancesEarthquake (primary); also designated: Volcanic Activity
1959-08-161959-08-16DR-94-HIMajor disasterHurricane DotHurricane (primary); also designated: Inland Flooding
1957-03-161957-03-16DR-71-HIMajor disasterTidal WaveTsunami
1955-04-011955-04-01DR-32-HIMajor disasterVolcanoVolcanic Activity

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

4 Fire Management declarations (1983-03-04 to 1998-08-25) FEMA filed as Statewide with no county; each names one local fire. Listed on the state page.

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Coastal Flooding0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Cold Wave0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Drought680020001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000010Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail1000001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Hurricane0000611996 to 2026-06-30No Storm Events records of this type; 6 federal declared incidents (see declarations table)
Inland Flooding2020320911996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide8000611996 to 2026-06-30
Lightning4000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind59016001955 to 2026-06-30Includes 38 High Wind and 11 Strong Wind records.
Tornado6000001950 to 2026-06-30
Tsunami0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Volcanic Activity0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Wildfire25001001996 to 2026-06-30
Winter Weather1000001996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationWhy listed
2021-03-06Debris Flow$3,900,000 property; $0 crops (2021 dollars)0, 0HANALEIB1-c worst recorded: Debris Flow
2020-03-28Flash Flood$30,600,000 property; $0 crops (2020 dollars)0, 0PRINCEVILLEB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2018-08-28Flash Flood$1,500,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)1, 0PRINCEVILLEdeaths or injuries recorded
2017-08-20Lightning$10,000 property; $0 crops (2017 dollars)0, 0KALIHIWAIB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
2016-12-03Flash Flood$0 property; $0 crops (2016 dollars)1, 0WAILUAdeaths or injuries recorded
2012-08-01Drought$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)0, 0NWS zone HIZ002 (KAUAI WINDWARD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2012-03-09Hail0.75 in$0 property; $0 crops (2012 dollars)0, 0KAPAAB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2011-08-17Wildfire$950,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)0, 0NWS zone HIZ002 (KAUAI WINDWARD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Wildfire
2006-03-13Flash Flooddamage not reported7, 0HANALEIdeaths or injuries recorded
2005-01-08Thunderstorm Wind65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust$100,000 property; crops not reported (2005 dollars)0, 0KALAHEOB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2002-03-24TornadoF0, 1 mi within this county, 30 yd wide$60,000 property; crops not reported (2002 dollars)0, 0ANAHOLAB1-c worst recorded: Tornado
1996-02-10High Wind109 kt (125 mph), measurement type not recordeddamage not reported0, 0NWS zone HIZ003 (KAUAI LEEWARD), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (374 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

FEMA's declaration data list no tribal or special-area declarations for this state.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Coastal Flooding0.26events per year at a location (modeled)about 0.26 per year at a given location in the countyStorm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Cold Wave0event-days per yearnone modeledStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)02005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events cold wave record, 1996 to 2025.
Drought4.18event-days per yearabout 4.18 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 18 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (60%)3292000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.000846annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0846%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail0events per yearnone modeledUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)0.0 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave0event-days per yearnone modeledStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)02005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events heat wave record, 1996 to 2025
Hurricane0.104events per yearabout 1 in 10 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)131949 to 2024 (Pacific)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Inland Flooding5.82event-days per yearabout 5.82 days per yearHighly likelyStorm Events event-days in 29 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (96.7%)1631996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.173events per year (modeled)about 1 in 6 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning78.7days per year with a strikeabout 78.7 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind0.00666events per yearabout 1 in 150 yearsUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)11986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.00838events per yearabout 1 in 119 yearsUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Tsunami0.664annual probability at the most exposed location (used in place of a county value)chance at the county's most exposed location in a year: 66.4%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Volcanic Activity0annual probabilitynone modeledUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Wildfire0.00493annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.493%LikelyStorm Events records in 15 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (50%)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Winter Weatherevent-days per yearPossible2005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNot Applicable in NRI for this county; the descriptor comes from Storm Events, not NRI: event-days in 1 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025.

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 20250300
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20250300
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 20256300.2
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20252300.0667
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20252300.0667
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20253300.1
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20250300
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Coastal Flooding15 of 1875.985.489.8Relatively Moderate 2, Relatively Low 12, Very Low 1, No Rating 3
Cold Wave0 of 18No Rating 18
Drought9 of 1868.277.086.7Relatively Low 3, Very Low 6, No Rating 9
Earthquake17 of 186.823.168.9Relatively Low 2, Very Low 15, No Rating 1
Hail0 of 18No Rating 18
Heat Wave0 of 18No Rating 18
Hurricane18 of 1825.257.168.1Relatively Low 16, Very Low 2
Inland Flooding17 of 1852.896.199.9Very High 9, Relatively High 7, Relatively Moderate 1, No Rating 1
Landslide18 of 1817.993.799.2Relatively Moderate 7, Relatively Low 8, Very Low 3
Lightning18 of 184.592.198.7Very High 6, Relatively High 10, Relatively Moderate 1, Very Low 1
Strong Wind18 of 180.34.28.2Very Low 18
Tornado18 of 180.21.62.7Very Low 18
Tsunami15 of 1828.481.194.9Relatively Moderate 8, Relatively Low 6, Very Low 1, No Rating 1, Not Applicable 2
Volcanic Activity0 of 18No Rating 18
Wildfire18 of 1838.394.498.2Relatively High 6, Relatively Moderate 7, Relatively Low 4, Very Low 1
Winter Weather0 of 18Not Applicable 18

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for drought, lightning and strong wind are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its plan
Kauai CountyCountyApproved, expires 2031-04-30FMA RL 7, SRL 6; any 56no Public Assistance recorded0 total; 0 since its plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2026-05-01county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Coastal Flooding$2,905,770,454n/a9,715$140,052n/a$3060.00482%
Cold Wave$0$00$0$0$0building exposure is 0 in NRI
Droughtn/a$11,240,311n/an/a$17,655n/a0.157% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$27,617,944,173n/a73,298$182,819n/a$27,3630.000662%
Hail$16,320,589,989$78,564,72673,136$0$0$00%
Heat Wave$0$00$0$0$0building exposure is 0 in NRI
Hurricane$16,320,589,989$78,564,72673,136$355,622$4,120$35,6580.00218%no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)
Inland Flooding$16,304,355,663$4,199,8537,516$34,837,858$202,000$12,627,240n/a (see note)no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$730,235,142n/a3,598$165,966n/a$1040.0227%no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)
Lightning$16,320,589,989n/a73,136$46,506n/a$959,6050.000285%
Strong Wind$16,320,589,989$78,564,72673,136$2,058$120$3,630under 0.0001%
Tornado$16,320,589,989$78,564,72673,136$4,753$28$195under 0.0001%
Tsunami$12,833,603,735n/a12,020$8,627,482n/a$00.0672%
Volcanic Activity$0n/a0$0n/a$0building exposure is 0 in NRI
Wildfire$2,177,143,213$25,778,00213,815$2,456,564$367$160,0200.113%
Winter WeatherNot Applicable in NRI for this county

Totals since 2026-05-01 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 0 county-coded records, 0 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0; 0 zone-level records, 0 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: none recorded on the 1 counted declaration.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population73,136
Building value (total, not at risk)$16,320,589,989
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$78,564,726
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Relatively Moderate
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$47,043,969
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$13,814,119
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Low
Community resilience ratingVery High
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)7Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)6
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition53Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition3

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county total and NFIP communities

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total7653356023
of which: Kauai County (unincorporated area)7653356023

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Kauai County1500027653356023

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential6338140017
2 to 4 unit residential0030302
other residential0111200
non-residential121111104
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 1 property is FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 47 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Kauai County, HI: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 15007). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/hi/15007/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]