Kauai County Disaster Risk

Kauai County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate, placing it in the 84th percentile nationally out of 3,144 counties. This composite score reflects the county's overall exposure to natural hazards including floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes, weighted by expected annual loss and social vulnerability.

Kauai County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (93th percentile), flooding (91th percentile), hurricane (65th percentile), earthquake (43th percentile), tornado (2th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 93th percentile nationally. These scores are derived from FEMA's National Risk Index, which analyzes expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience for each hazard type.

Kauai County's composite risk percentile is 84th, compared to the Hawaii state average of 75th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Kauai County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Hawaii.

Yes, Kauai County's wildfire risk is at the 93th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Kauai County is at the 91th percentile.

FEMA's National Risk Index (NRI) calculates risk scores for 18 natural hazard types across all U.S. counties and census tracts. The composite score combines Expected Annual Loss (estimated dollar losses from each hazard), Social Vulnerability (demographic factors affecting disaster impact), and Community Resilience (ability to recover). Percentile scores rank each county against all 3,144 U.S. counties, and risk ratings range from Very Low to Very High.

Kauai County's composite risk score of 84th percentile is above the Hawaii state average of 75th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (93th percentile), along with flooding and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.