Photo: Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Waihee-Waiehu faces more hazard damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waihee-Waiehu gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #27 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then earthquakes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2003.
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 Waihee-Waiehu 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
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
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 Waihee-Waiehu’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Waihee-Waiehu, and Waihee-Waiehu’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 7%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #27 of 93 in Hawaii; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Waihee-Waiehu’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Hawaii town has higher expected damage than 96% of U.S. towns; within the state, Waihee-Waiehu has less expected damage per building than 72% of Hawaii towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.0M a year in losses across Waihee-Waiehu: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Waihee-Waiehu flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2003
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Waihee-Waiehu, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Waihee-Waiehu isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Maui County.The storms Waihee-Waiehu remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Maui County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Waihee-Waiehu itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20032 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20171 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Maui County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Also 9 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Maui County, 2006–2025.
Old photos of Waihee-Waiehu after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Waihee-Waiehu archive →Waihee-Waiehu and its neighbors
Waihee-Waiehu is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wailuku | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Waihee-Waiehu | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Waihee-Waiehu 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
- Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
- Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
- 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 Waihee-Waiehu
Is Waihee-Waiehu at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Waihee-Waiehu has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #27 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and earthquakes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Waihee-Waiehu flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Waihee-Waiehu since 2003, $18K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Waihee-Waiehu 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 Maui County, 4.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Waihee-Waiehu?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Waihee-Waiehu’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Waihee-Waiehu at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Waihee-Waiehu’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Waihee-Waiehu.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Waihee-Waiehu’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.