About 25,000 households on Oʻahu are in flood-risk areas, and the City and County of Honolulu wants to see how prepared residents are for possible floods.
The city has sent households postcards asking them to participate in a federally funded survey, which will ask about their experiences or risks with floods and figure out how much they know about flood insurance.
The survey results will help the city’s outreach and education to improve flood awareness and resilience across the island.
“It is essential to empower and prepare community members with accurate information about flood risks and ways to reduce risk, especially flood insurance, which can aid in recovery," said Matthew Gonser, executive director and chief resilience officer of the city’s Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency.
"Island-wide, we’ve experienced flood impacts, including in areas outside of currently mapped flood hazard zones."
“The more we know and do before rain events, the fewer impacts there will be and the more resilient our communities are,” he said.
The city in a news release said that Oʻahu residents participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program filed more than 360 claims over the last five years, totaling more than $27.4 million in losses and damages.
The survey is online at the resilience office’s website for all Oʻahu residents to take through April 1.
