Hurricane Preparedness on the Hamakua Coast: 5 Things to Consider When Buying a Home
Living on the Hamakua Coast comes with incredible scenery, a strong sense of community, and a lifestyle that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. But living along the windward side of Hawaiʻi Island also means being prepared for the possibility of hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy rain, high winds, and extended power outages.
If you're considering buying a home in areas like Hāmākua, Honokaʻa, Paʻauilo, Laupāhoehoe, Pepeʻekeo, or along the North Hilo coast, hurricane and storm preparedness should be part of your home-buying evaluation.
And this isn't something I just think about as a REALTOR®. I've experienced it firsthand living in Laupāhoehoe.
Our Experience During Storm Lala
During Storm Lala, our family lost power and internet for four days after trees came down across power lines in our area.
Fortunately, we had prepared ahead of time.
We had enough gasoline to run our generator, which allowed us to keep our deep freezer running and protect the food we had stored. We also had plenty of water storage, which became especially important while we were without normal utilities.
For cooking, we had a propane gas burner, giving us another way to prepare meals without relying on electricity.
We also experienced some small leaks through the walls during the storm. Nothing major, but it was a good reminder that different types of homes can respond differently to severe weather.
That experience reinforced something I think is important for anyone buying property on the Hamakua Coast:
Storm preparedness isn't necessarily about making your home completely storm-proof. It's about understanding what could happen when the power goes out, roads become difficult to travel, and normal services aren't available—and having a plan.
Here are five things I recommend buyers consider.
1. Look at the Property's Location and Exposure
Before falling in love with a house, take a close look at where it sits.
The Hamakua Coast has dramatically different microclimates and terrain. A home tucked into a forested area may have very different wind exposure than a home sitting on an open ridge or closer to the ocean.
When viewing a property, consider:
Is the home exposed to prevailing winds?
Is it on a ridge, hillside, or in a more protected area?
Are there large trees near the house?
Could falling trees or branches affect the roof, driveway, power lines, or other structures?
Is the property near a stream, gulch, or drainage area?
How does water move across the property during heavy rain?
A beautiful property surrounded by large trees can also require more storm preparation and ongoing maintenance.
And this is something we experienced firsthand during Storm Lala. The biggest issue for us wasn't damage to our house—it was trees coming down onto power lines and leaving us without electricity and internet for four days.
Tip: Visit the property during different weather conditions if possible. A calm, sunny day doesn't always tell you how a property handles strong wind and heavy rain.
2. Pay Attention to Older Construction and How the Exterior Handles Wind-Driven Rain
This is an especially important consideration when buying an older home on the Hamakua Coast.
Our own home in Laupāhoehoe is a single-wall construction home, so this is something I've experienced firsthand.
With many older single-wall homes in Hawaiʻi, the exterior walls are constructed using tongue-and-groove boards attached directly to the outside of the wall structure. When the home is in good condition, this construction can perform well, but age, termite damage, deterioration, and weather exposure can create vulnerabilities.
During strong storms, the combination of high winds and sideways, wind-driven rain can expose small areas where water is able to get through. In our case, during Storm Lala, we experienced some small leaks through the walls.
It wasn't a major problem, but it was a good reminder that different construction types can respond differently to severe weather.
If you're looking at an older single-wall home, pay particular attention to:
The condition of the tongue-and-groove exterior boards
Evidence of previous termite damage
Soft, deteriorated, or damaged wood
Areas around windows and doors
Exterior penetrations and transitions
Signs of previous water intrusion
Staining or discoloration on interior walls
Areas that receive significant wind and rain exposure
If possible, see the property during heavy rain
One of the best ways to identify these isolated issues is to see the property during a good, hard Hamakua rain.
A home can look completely dry and problem-free during a sunny showing. But when heavy rain is blowing sideways, you may discover a small leak around a window, water getting through an exterior wall, a gutter overflowing, or drainage problems in the yard.
These aren't necessarily reasons not to buy a property. Some issues may be relatively minor and straightforward to address. The important thing is knowing they're there so you can properly evaluate the property and understand what you're buying.
A rainy-day showing also doesn't replace a professional home inspection or termite inspection. It simply gives you another opportunity to see how the home performs under real-world weather conditions.
Living in our own single-wall home through Storm Lala gave me a firsthand appreciation for this. We weren't dealing with major damage, but the small leaks we experienced were exactly the kind of thing that might not have been obvious during a typical sunny-day showing.
3. Think About Power, Water, and Cooking
One of the biggest challenges after a major storm may not be damage to the house itself—it may be being without utilities for several days.
Our experience during Storm Lala made this especially clear.
When the power went out in Laupāhoehoe, having a generator meant we could keep our deep freezer running. Having fuel stored ahead of time meant we weren't scrambling to find gas after the storm.
We also had plenty of stored water, which gave us an important backup while normal services were disrupted.
And because our generator wasn't something we wanted to run constantly just for cooking, having a propane burner gave us another simple option for preparing meals.
When evaluating a home, think about what you would need if you were without power for several days.
Water
Does the home rely on:
County water?
Catchment?
A private well?
A pump?
If the home uses catchment or a private water system, what happens when the power goes out?
A home with water storage may have water available during an outage, but pumps, UV systems, filtration systems, and other equipment may still require electricity.
Electricity
Consider whether the property has:
Solar PV
Battery storage
A generator
A transfer switch
Critical systems that can operate during an outage
Solar panels alone don't necessarily mean a home will have electricity when the grid goes down. Battery storage or an appropriately configured backup system may be necessary.
Food and Cooking
Think beyond simply keeping the lights on.
If you're without power for multiple days, how will you:
Keep refrigerated and frozen food cold?
Cook meals?
Charge phones?
Run medical equipment if necessary?
Power water pumps or filtration?
Stay connected?
A generator, propane burner, battery backups, or other equipment can all play a role depending on the property and your family's needs.
Important: Generators and propane equipment need to be used according to manufacturer instructions and kept in properly ventilated outdoor locations to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
4. Check Insurance, Flooding, and the Cost of Being Prepared
Insurance should be part of the home-buying conversation before you make an offer—or at least during your due diligence period.
The cost and availability of insurance can vary depending on the property's location, construction, roof, age, and other factors.
You should investigate:
Homeowners insurance availability
Wind coverage
Flood insurance requirements or recommendations
The property's flood zone
Previous insurance claims when available
The age and condition of major components
The cost of insuring the property
It's important to remember that a property not being in a high-risk FEMA flood zone does not mean it cannot experience flooding or drainage problems during an extreme rain event.
Look beyond the FEMA map and evaluate the actual property.
Ask:
Where does the water go?
Look at the slope of the property, drainage channels, culverts, driveways, retaining walls, and areas where water could collect.
On the Hamakua Coast, heavy rainfall can be a major consideration even when a property isn't directly adjacent to the ocean.
5. Have a Plan for Trees, Access, and Extended Outages
One of the biggest things I would consider when buying a rural or semi-rural Hamakua property is what happens after the storm.
Our experience in Laupāhoehoe is a good example.
Our home itself didn't need to be the biggest concern. The problem was what was happening outside the property. Trees came down on power lines, leaving us without power and internet for four days.
A house may be perfectly fine, but if a large tree falls across the only driveway, access can become a problem.
Look at:
The condition of trees around the home
Whether trees overhang the roof
The length of the driveway
Whether there is another access route
Road conditions leading to the property
The availability of emergency services
How long you could comfortably stay without normal utilities
For a property with a long driveway, it may be worth having a plan for debris removal and keeping appropriate emergency supplies on site.
It's also worth thinking about the simple things that can make a multi-day outage much easier:
Fuel. Water. Food. A way to cook. A way to keep essential appliances running. Battery backups. Flashlights. Communication.
You don't necessarily need an elaborate emergency setup. You just need to think through what your family would need if the power stayed off for several days.
A Rainy-Day Showing Can Tell You Things a Sunny Day Can't
One of my biggest takeaways from living on the Hamakua Coast is that weather can be part of the inspection process.
A home can look perfect on a sunny afternoon. But when you're dealing with heavy rain and strong winds, that's when some of the small, isolated issues start to show themselves.
You may notice:
A small leak around a window
Water getting through an older wall
A gutter overflowing
Water collecting in a particular part of the yard
A drainage issue
Water coming underneath a door
Wind-driven rain entering an exterior wall
These aren't necessarily reasons not to buy a property. Some may be relatively minor and easily addressed. The important thing is knowing they're there so you can properly evaluate the property and understand what you're buying.
If you're looking at an older Hamakua home and happen to have an opportunity to see it during a significant rainstorm, it can be a valuable part of your due diligence.
Of course, a rainy-day showing doesn't replace a professional inspection, termite inspection, or other appropriate due diligence. It simply gives you another opportunity to see how the property performs under real-world conditions.
What About Homes on the Hamakua Coast That Are Off-Grid?
Off-grid and partially off-grid properties can be particularly interesting from a storm-preparedness perspective.
A properly designed system may provide advantages during a power outage, but it also means the homeowner is responsible for maintaining more of the property's infrastructure.
If you're looking at an off-grid property, understand:
How much water is stored
How the water system works without grid power
Battery capacity and age
Solar production
Generator backup
Propane or fuel storage
Water filtration and UV systems
What happens if a critical component fails
Don't just ask:
"Is this property off-grid?"
Ask:
"What continues working when the grid is down?"
That's a much more useful question.
The Bottom Line for Hamakua Home Buyers
Buying a home on the Hamakua Coast isn't just about the house itself.
You're buying the location, land, infrastructure, access, utilities, drainage, surrounding vegetation, construction, and the systems that keep the property functioning.
Our experience during Storm Lala was a good reminder that even if your house comes through a storm without major damage, you can still be dealing with the effects for days afterward.
For us, having gas for the generator, a deep freezer we could keep running, plenty of stored water, and a propane burner for cooking made being without power and internet for four days much more manageable.
And the small leaks we experienced were another reminder that older homes and different construction types can respond differently to severe weather.
Hurricanes and major tropical storms may not happen every year, but preparing for them is part of owning property in Hawaiʻi.
The best time to understand a property's vulnerabilities is before you buy it, not after the next major storm arrives.
If you're looking at homes along the Hamakua Coast, take the time to walk the property carefully, ask questions, review the inspection, investigate insurance, and understand how the home gets its water and power.
And if you can see a property during a good Hamakua downpour, don't automatically look at the rain as an inconvenience. It might be one of the best opportunities you have to see how the home actually performs.
Thinking About Buying a Home Along the Hamakua Coast?
I was born and raised on the Big Island and am raising my family here on the Hamakua Coast. If you're considering a home in Hāmākua, Honokaʻa, Laupāhoehoe, Paʻauilo, Pepeʻekeo, Hilo, or elsewhere on Hawaiʻi Island, I can help you look beyond the house itself and understand the property as a whole—from access and utilities to location, land, construction, and long-term considerations.
Peter Prentiss, REALTOR®
eXp Realty | The Agency Team Hawaii
RS-87320
808.215.4527
PeterHawaiiHomes.com
