Question: Regarding Oahu’s new flood map, the city says you can appeal if your property is placed in a high-risk zone and you have to get flood insurance because of that. Is hardship a grounds for appeal?

Answer: No. “An appeal is a formal written objection to the addition/ modification of Base Flood Elevations/Flood Depths, Special Flood Hazard Area boundaries, Zone designations, or regulatory floodway boundaries depicted on the preliminary (Flood Insurance Rate Maps). An appeal must be accompanied by data and documentation, certified by a registered professional engineer or licensed land surveyor, indicating how the proposed new or modified flood hazard information shown on the preliminary FIRMs is scientifically or technically incorrect,” according to the city website explaining the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s update of the map.

As Kokua Line reported in October (808ne.ws/4bDx22g), FEMA spent several years analyzing flood risks along Oahu streams to update the FIRMs, including in areas that had never been flood-mapped before. As a result, thousands of Oahu properties previously noted as having an undetermined flood risk are designated on the preliminary FIRMs as being in Special Flood Hazard Areas. Owners of those properties may have to buy flood insurance if they have a federally backed loan or mortgage on the property, and comply with local laws regarding construction and development in flood hazard areas.

Before the process to finalize the preliminary FIRMS begins, there will be a 90-day public appeal and comment period, which starts Thursday and runs through June 10. Owners can appeal changes to their property’s flood-risk designation, and the public can submit comments and ask questions.

For more information, including instructions on filing an appeal, go to resilient oahu.org/firm-update. The site also has a link to the flood map so owners can check their property’s current and proposed status.

The FIRMs are not expected to be finalized until spring 2026, after FEMA addresses all appeals, issues a letter of final determination and oversees a six-month adoption/compliance period. At the end of that period, “the FIRMs become effective, along with all regulatory and flood insurance requirements,” the website says.

Q: Regarding license plates, is the shaka license plate an organization license plate? Why couldn’t the city use that one in the shortage? Seems more local.

A: Yes, the Hawaii license plate with a shaka decal is an organization license plate, and it is available for purchase. It’s not the default alternative during a shortage of standard license plates because it costs more than a standard license plate and more than the organization license plate the Division of Motor Vehicles is using as the default alternative until the supply of standard plates is replenished.

The default is the American United 9/11 decal license plate because it costs the same as a plain license plate: $5.50 upon issuance, with no additional annual fee. By contrast, the Project Shaka license plate costs $30.50 initially and $25 for annual renewal; $20 of each purchase (issuance and renewal) goes to the nonprofit ID8 “to fund its efforts to help curb road rage incidents on O‘ahu,” according to a city news release in May, when the shaka decal plate first became available. The decal features Hawaii’s universal gesture of goodwill.

As Kokua Line has previously reported, license plates spelling “Hawai‘i” with an okina as required by a state law approved in 2024 are not yet widely available; the supply is expected to be fully restocked by May.