New flood maps could force thousands of Oahu homeowners to purchase flood insurance

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency released new flood insurance rate maps on Thursday after a five year re-examination of Oahu’s flood hazards, including multiple streams that have never been studied before.
Federal, state and local agencies use FEMA’s maps to determine flood insurance requirements and to regulate development in flood-prone areas.
The updated maps highlight several new areas of high flood risk, which are now categorized as “Special Flood Hazard Areas.”
An estimated 4000 property owners who have a federally-backed loans or mortgages – could be required to purchase flood insurance when the maps are finalized.
“It’s going to be great concern, especially for us in the homestead,” Iwalani Laybon-McBrayer of Kaupea Homestead said there are four homesteads and more on the way in Ewa that could be affected.
State Representative Diamond Garcia, represents Ewa, Kapolei and Fernandez Village. He said residents who have never experienced flooding will wonder why their properties are now included.
“This will put a lot of people under that that break even line and so I’m really worried,” Garcia said flood insurance can run a homeowner an extra $1,000 a year.
Garcia wants town hall meetings that include local, state and federal representation.
Currently, the expected date for finalization is in 2026, following a formal appeal process that starts in spring 2025.
The city urges residents to check if they are in one of these high-risk areas on the Resilience Office’s website.
For residents eager to learn more about the implications of the new maps, FEMA, DLNR and city officials are holding two open houses where residents can ask questions.
One is on Nov. 4 from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Zoom and requires online registration. The other is on Nov. 6 from 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on the first floor of the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
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