FEMA declarations
72
Below median
State profile · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Hawaii Natural Disasters
Hawaii's federal declaration record sits near the middle of the state distribution. 72 FEMA disaster declarations are on record, led by fire, with $5.7B in combined property and crop damage. A moderate count like this can still mask a single catastrophic year rather than a steady annual pattern. NOAA storm event data shows 6,200 recorded weather events resulting in 134 fatalities, numbers that shape which hazards get priority in the state's preparedness planning.
- 72
- FEMA declarations
- 6,200
- NOAA storm events
- 134
- Storm fatalities
- $5.7B
- Property + crop damage
The Hawaii risk picture
2 of the 5 counties FEMA scores, 40%, carry a FEMA "high-risk" National Risk Index rating, with riverine flooding the single largest driver of expected annual loss statewide. Hawaii has 39 Major Disaster (DR) declarations; FEMA authorizes Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both separately for each declaration. NOAA-tracked storms have caused 82 injuries statewide.
- 40%
- of counties rated high-risk by FEMA National Risk Index
- 72
- FEMA disaster declarations on record
- $5.7B
- in tracked property + crop damage
- 6,170
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed statewide
FEMA's National Risk Index and NOAA's Storm Events Database measure different things: modeled long-run risk vs. observed severe-weather events. Storm Events is a reported dataset, so its counts track what was observed and logged, not every event that occurred, and reporting is denser where more people live. See the methodology for how they relate.
Major Disaster share
54%
Major-heavy
NOAA storm events
6,200
Observed severe-weather records
How does Hawaii compare?
Hawaii vs. every U.S. state
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
72 47th percentile higher than 47% of 59 states and territories
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Hawaii county risk-score spread
FEMA National Risk Index composite scores, 0–100
75 20th percentile higher than 20% of 5 county composite scores
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more county composite scores. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA National Risk Index (NRI), county composite scores · 2026-08-03
The declaration chart counts past federal actions. The county score chart summarizes FEMA's modeled National Risk Index composite; it is not a forecast, and a state average does not describe every county.
Do more storms mean more federal disasters?
Hawaii sits at the 44th percentile of FEMA declaration volume and the 31st percentile of NOAA storm-event volume among 55 states and territories, those two ranks are not interchangeable.
FEMA declaration rank vs NOAA storm-event rank
Read the chart, every state as text
Percentiles are within this release's state/territory sample. Raw counts are the underlying FEMA and NOAA totals.
| State | FEMA decls | FEMA %ile | NOAA storms | NOAA %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 396 | 98 | 23,694 | 93 |
| Texas | 389 | 96 | 53,309 | 98 |
| Oklahoma | 258 | 95 | 23,896 | 95 |
| Washington | 215 | 93 | 4,408 | 22 |
| Florida | 188 | 91 | 12,838 | 55 |
| Oregon | 169 | 89 | 3,695 | 20 |
| New Mexico | 126 | 87 | 10,974 | 45 |
| Arizona | 120 | 85 | 9,541 | 38 |
| New York | 118 | 84 | 21,653 | 82 |
| Montana | 112 | 82 | 13,576 | 56 |
| Colorado | 111 | 78 | 18,340 | 73 |
| Louisiana | 111 | 78 | 11,204 | 47 |
| Nevada | 110 | 76 | 4,534 | 24 |
| Alabama | 102 | 75 | 14,583 | 64 |
| Kentucky | 98 | 71 | 19,947 | 78 |
| Mississippi | 98 | 71 | 14,100 | 62 |
| Tennessee | 97 | 69 | 16,645 | 69 |
| South Dakota | 96 | 67 | 22,759 | 87 |
| Alaska | 94 | 64 | 2,683 | 15 |
| Kansas | 94 | 64 | 25,115 | 96 |
| Arkansas | 87 | 60 | 13,637 | 58 |
| Nebraska | 87 | 60 | 20,136 | 80 |
| Missouri | 86 | 58 | 22,952 | 89 |
| North Carolina | 85 | 56 | 16,367 | 67 |
| West Virginia | 84 | 55 | 12,026 | 49 |
| Georgia | 81 | 51 | 16,676 | 71 |
| Minnesota | 81 | 51 | 19,109 | 75 |
| Iowa | 78 | 49 | 21,883 | 84 |
| Virginia | 77 | 47 | 23,584 | 91 |
| North Dakota | 75 | 45 | 10,818 | 44 |
| Hawaii | 72 | 44 | 6,200 | 31 |
| Maine | 71 | 42 | 4,781 | 27 |
| Illinois | 68 | 40 | 22,088 | 85 |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 38 | 19,427 | 76 |
| New Hampshire | 63 | 36 | 2,547 | 11 |
| Vermont | 62 | 35 | 3,449 | 18 |
| Idaho | 60 | 31 | 5,142 | 29 |
| Ohio | 60 | 31 | 16,184 | 65 |
| Massachusetts | 59 | 25 | 6,781 | 33 |
| New Jersey | 59 | 25 | 8,218 | 35 |
| Utah | 59 | 25 | 4,578 | 25 |
| Wisconsin | 56 | 24 | 13,807 | 60 |
| Indiana | 54 | 22 | 12,687 | 53 |
| Puerto Rico | 51 | 18 | 2,944 | 16 |
| South Carolina | 51 | 18 | 10,520 | 42 |
| Michigan | 46 | 16 | 9,052 | 36 |
| Wyoming | 45 | 15 | 12,494 | 51 |
| Connecticut | 43 | 13 | 2,622 | 13 |
| Maryland | 38 | 11 | 10,290 | 40 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 33 | 9 | 88 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 31 | 7 | 924 | 7 |
| Delaware | 26 | 5 | 1,475 | 9 |
| Guam | 25 | 4 | 258 | 2 |
| District of Columbia | 24 | 2 | 452 | 5 |
| American Samoa | 17 | 0 | 292 | 4 |
What shapes Hawaii's record?
FEMA declaration types in Hawaii
Wider bars = more declarations of that incident type
- Fire
Fire
29 declarations
- Flood
Flood
13 declarations
- Severe Storm 9
Severe Storm
9 declarations
- Hurricane 6
Hurricane
6 declarations
- Earthquake 4
Earthquake
4 declarations
- Volcanic Eruption 4
Volcanic Eruption
4 declarations
- Biological 2
Biological
2 declarations
- Other 2
Other
2 declarations
What this shows Fire leads Hawaii's FEMA declaration mix with 29 records among the types shown.
NOAA storm events by year
Reported severe-weather events in Hawaii, 2015–2025 catalog window.
Peak year in this series: 2018 (840 events). Counts are reported events, not a complete census.
64 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Hawaii · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite mixing OpenFEMA declaration totals (1953–present) with NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025), different windows and event definitions, disclosed weights on the methodology page . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) Moderate
12/30
72 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (0.8x state average)
NOAA Storm Events (2015–2025) Moderate
7/25
6200 NOAA storm events in the 2015–2025 extract (0.6x median state)
NOAA Damage (2015–2025) Very High
25/25
Recorded NOAA property+crop damage in the 2015–2025 extract (9.9x median state)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
11 different disaster types declared in Hawaii
What does Hawaii's hazard record show?
FEMA disaster declarations
Hawaii (HI) has a moderate level of federal declaration activity, with 72 FEMA declaration records, including 39 Major Disaster declarations (DR). A DR may authorize Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, or both; those program approvals are not implied by the DR count. The dominant declaration type is Fire, followed by Flood (13), Severe Storm (9), Hurricane (6). Declaration counts at the state level reflect the cumulative federal footprint: large multi-county events count once per state, but repeat hazard patterns across decades are visible in the breakdown below.
Flood exposure & where to dig deeper
Flood exposure is quantified separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Policyholders across 4Hawaii counties have filed 6,170 NFIP claims totaling $165.8M, or an average of $26.9K per claim. NFIP data captures only insured flood losses, so uninsured flood damage and storm-surge losses outside mapped high-risk zones remain invisible in this figure. The highest-Expected-Annual-Loss hazard across the state is Riverine Flooding, estimated at $0.6B annually. Drill into individual counties for localized risk, read FEMA's hazard-specific briefings, and review insurance and flood-zone designations, state-level averages can mask sharp county-to-county differences in exposure and resilience.
NOAA storm events & FEMA National Risk Index
NOAA's Storm Events Database adds the near-term severe-weather lens. Between 2015 and 2025, Hawaii recorded 6,200 individual storm events, causing 134 fatalities and 82 injuries, with combined property and crop damage estimated at $5.7B. The most frequent event types in the state are High Surf (3,536 events), Heavy Rain (1,044 events), Drought (899 events). Across the 5counties FEMA scores here, its National Risk Index flags 2 as high-risk, with an average county Risk Index score (FEMA's own formula, distinct from our Historical Activity tool below) of 75.0/100.
What this count is, and is not. Storm Events is a reported database: NOAA compiles it from National Weather Service offices, trained spotters, law enforcement, and the public. It is a record of what was observed and logged, not a complete census of severe weather. Densely populated areas report more events than sparsely populated ones with similar meteorological exposure, and detection has improved over time, so an event count is not a like-for-like measure of hazard between places or across decades. Damage figures are field estimates, not audited losses. See methodology.
Disaster Types in Hawaii
Fire 29
Flood 13
Severe Storm 9
Hurricane 6
Earthquake 4
Volcanic Eruption 4
Biological 2
Other 2
Tsunami 1
Typhoon 1
Mud/Landslide 1
Storm Events by Type
NOAA storm event data for Hawaii (2015-2025).
| Event Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Surf | 3,536 | 20 | 28 | $672.0K |
| Heavy Rain | 1,044 | 4 | 2 | $0 |
| Drought | 899 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Flash Flood | 223 | 6 | 4 | $125.1M |
| Strong Wind | 127 | 0 | 11 | $555.8K |
| Wildfire | 93 | 103 | 35 | $5.6B |
| High Wind | 84 | 0 | 0 | $125.0K |
| Volcanic Ashfall | 71 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Flood | 35 | 0 | 1 | $5.1M |
| Debris Flow | 19 | 0 | 0 | $3.9M |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 13 | 1 | 0 | $111.0K |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 12 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Weather | 8 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | 0 | $58.0K |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter Storm | 6 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Tropical Storm | 4 | 0 | 0 | $10.0K |
| Heavy Snow | 3 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Blizzard | 3 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Hail | 2 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Storm Events by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 126 | 3 | 1 | $1.8M |
| 2024 | 180 | 3 | 7 | $22.8M |
| 2023 | 268 | 103 | 45 | $5.6B |
| 2022 | 663 | 0 | 3 | $1.3M |
| 2021 | 699 | 4 | 4 | $51.0M |
| 2020 | 622 | 0 | 0 | $30.9M |
| 2019 | 687 | 4 | 2 | $254.3K |
| 2018 | 840 | 4 | 6 | $28.4M |
| 2017 | 629 | 3 | 4 | $231.0K |
| 2016 | 727 | 5 | 2 | $1.0K |
| 2015 | 759 | 5 | 8 | $88.5K |
FEMA Disaster Declarations
How the 72 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download all 72 declarations as CSV . Source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
72 unique disaster declarations in Hawaii.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5650 | KAWAIHAE ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2026-07-26 |
| 4909 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2026-04-07 |
| 5613 | HOLOMUA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-09-23 |
| 5609 | KUNIA ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-08-19 |
| 4793 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2024-06-17 |
| 4724 | WILDFIRES AND HIGH WINDS | DR | Fire | 2023-08-10 |
| 5475 | LAHAINA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-08-09 |
| 5478 | MAUNA KEA BEACH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-08-09 |
| 5477 | PULEHU FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-08-09 |
| 5476 | UPCOUNTRY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-08-09 |
| 5474 | KOHALA RANCH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2023-08-08 |
| 4639 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2022-02-15 |
| 5404 | MANA ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-08-01 |
| 4604 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2021-05-13 |
| 3529 | HURRICANE DOUGLAS | EM | Hurricane | 2020-07-25 |
| 4549 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2020-07-09 |
| 4510 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-04-01 |
| 3431 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 5294 | KAHANA RIDGE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2019-10-23 |
| 4395 | HURRICANE LANE | DR | Hurricane | 2018-09-27 |
| 3404 | TROPICAL STORM OLIVIA | EM | Hurricane | 2018-09-12 |
| 3399 | HURRICANE LANE | EM | Hurricane | 2018-08-22 |
| 4366 | KILAUEA VOLCANIC ERUPTION AND EARTHQUAKES | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 2018-05-11 |
| 4365 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2018-05-08 |
| 4282 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Mud/Landslide | 2016-10-06 |
| 4201 | PU'U O'O VOLCANIC ERUPTION AND LAVA FLOW | DR | Volcanic Eruption | 2014-11-03 |
| 4194 | TROPICAL STORM ISELLE | DR | Severe Storm | 2014-09-12 |
| 4062 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2012-04-18 |
| 1967 | TSUNAMI WAVES | DR | Tsunami | 2011-04-08 |
| 2844 | MAALAEA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2010-06-09 |
| 2834 | KAUNAKAKAI FIRE | FM | Fire | 2009-08-31 |
| 1814 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Flood | 2009-01-05 |
| 1743 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH SURF, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2008-02-06 |
| 2740 | PUAKO FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-10-28 |
| 2722 | KOHALA MOUNTAIN ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-08-17 |
| 2720 | WAIALUA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-08-14 |
| 2701 | OLOWALU FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-06-28 |
| 1664 | EARTHQUAKE | DR | Earthquake | 2006-10-17 |
| 2673 | MA'ALAEA FIRE | FM | Fire | 2006-09-02 |
| 1640 | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Severe Storm | 2006-05-02 |
| 2577 | WAIKELE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2005-08-19 |
| 2576 | NANAKULI BRUSH FIRE | FM | Fire | 2005-08-15 |
| 2574 | AKONI PULE HIGHWAY FIRE | FM | Fire | 2005-08-04 |
| 2573 | LALAMILO FIRE | FM | Fire | 2005-08-02 |
| 1575 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLASH FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2005-02-01 |
| 2556 | KAWAIHAE ROAD FIRE HAWAII | FM | Fire | 2004-09-14 |
| 2468 | HI - WAIKOLOA VILLAGE FIRE - 05/18/2003 | FM | Fire | 2003-05-18 |
| 1348 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2000-11-09 |
| 2293 | HAWAII COUNTY FIRE COMPLEX | FM | Fire | 2000-03-20 |
| 2236 | MOLOKAI FIRE 98 (MAUI) | FM | Fire | 1998-08-25 |
Showing 50 of 72 declarations.
FEMA National Risk Index
Composite natural hazard risk scores for Hawaii counties based on FEMA's National Risk Index.
Avg County Risk Score
75.0/100
High Risk Counties
2
of 5 counties
Top Hazard by EAL
Riverine Flooding
$0.6B annual loss est.
Top 5 Hazards by Expected Annual Loss
#1
Riverine Flooding
$622.2M EAL
#2
Earthquake
$246.9M EAL
#3
Tsunami
$103.0M EAL
#4
Wildfire
$47.3M EAL
#5
Volcanic Activity
$28.7M EAL
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) EAL = Expected Annual Loss. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
National Flood Insurance Program claims across Hawaii from FEMA NFIP data.
Total Claims
6,170
Total Paid
$165.8M
Avg Per Claim
$26.9K
Counties With Claims
4
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
Counties in Hawaii
5 counties with FEMA disaster data.
| # | County | Disasters | Major |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii County | 31 | 16 |
| 2 | Maui County | 30 | 17 |
| 3 | Honolulu County | 23 | 14 |
| 4 | Kauai County | 17 | 13 |
| 5 | Kalawao County | 2 | 2 |
Highest-risk counties by FEMA National Risk Index
Declaration counts above measure past federal action; FEMA's NRI is a composite of Expected Annual Loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. By that separate measure the highest-risk counties in Hawaii are Honolulu (98.8), Hawaii (98.5), Maui (93.1), Kauai (84.4), Kalawao (0.1). Compare any county's recorded history with the Historical Activity tool.
All 5 counties in Hawaii are listed above.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Learn more about natural disaster risk, preparedness, and data interpretation.
Preparing for Natural Disasters
Essential steps to prepare your household for the most common natural hazards.
Hazard Risk by Region
How natural disaster risk varies across different US regions.
Climate Change & Disasters
How climate trends are changing the frequency and severity of natural disasters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What natural disasters affect Hawaii?
Hawaii is affected by fire, flood, severe storm, hurricane. The most common disaster type is Fire, based on 72 FEMA disaster declarations on record.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Hawaii had?
Hawaii has received 72 FEMA disaster declarations, including 39 major disaster declarations. That total is spread across disaster types including Fire (29), Flood (13), Severe Storm (9).
What severe weather events are most common in Hawaii?
The most common severe weather events in Hawaii include high surf (3,536 events), heavy rain (1,044 events), drought (899 events). These NOAA storm events recorded from 2015 to 2025 have caused 134 fatalities and $5.7B in property and crop damage.
How active is Hawaii's federal disaster declaration record?
Hawaii has a moderate level of historical federal declaration activity, based on 72 FEMA declaration records. This band is not a future-risk forecast. Separately, NOAA storm events from 2015-2025 record 134 fatalities and 82 injuries. Combined NOAA-listed property and crop losses total $5.7B.
How many flood insurance claims has Hawaii had?
Hawaii has 6,170 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims with $165.8M total paid out. The average claim payment is $26.9K, with 4 counties reporting flood insurance claims.
Which counties in Hawaii have the most disaster declarations?
Among 5 counties in Hawaii, those with the most FEMA declaration records include Hawaii (31 declarations), Maui (30 declarations), Honolulu (23 declarations). County-level records show where federal declarations have concentrated across the state.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, NOAA Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
What this means for Hawaii
Hawaii alone accounts for 43% of Hawaii's FEMA disaster declarations, out of 5 counties tracked statewide.
- The declaration record is uneven within the state: Hawaii and Maui carry the most FEMA declarations. Browse counties
- See how Hawaii ranks against other states for disaster frequency and damage. State rankings
- Learn what FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and damage figures do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts and damage totals describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
PlainHazard derives this presentation from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries. Its county comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.