FEMA puts Maunawili’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maunawili gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then wildfire (19%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1980.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Maunawili faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Maunawili’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Maunawili, and Maunawili’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 19%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Maunawili’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Maunawili: $988K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Maunawili flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Maunawili, from FEMA’s records: 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Maunawili isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Honolulu County.The storms Maunawili remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Honolulu County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Maunawili itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19801 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19851 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19871 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Mudslides and Flooding, declared for Honolulu County
Honolulu County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Also 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Honolulu County, 2005–2025.
Old photos of Maunawili after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Maunawili archive →Maunawili and its neighbors
Maunawili has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maunawili | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Kailua | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 257 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Maunawili faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Maunawili
Is Maunawili at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maunawili has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and wildfire (19%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Maunawili flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Maunawili since 1980, $17K in all, or 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Maunawili in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Honolulu County, 54% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 4.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Maunawili?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Maunawili’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Maunawili at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Maunawili’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Maunawili.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Maunawili’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.