Photo: Erica Fischer · CC BY 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Wailua Homesteads than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wailua Homesteads gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #54 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then tsunamis (16%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1988.
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 Wailua Homesteads 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
Tsunamis
Wildfire
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 Wailua Homesteads’ grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wailua Homesteads, and Wailua Homesteads’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 16%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #54 of 93 in Hawaii; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wailua Homesteads’ residents live in 2 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, Wailua Homesteads has more expected damage per building than 58% of Hawaii towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Wailua Homesteads: $3.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wailua Homesteads flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1988
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wailua Homesteads, from FEMA’s records: 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Wailua Homesteads isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kauai County.The storms Wailua Homesteads remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for its 2 counties shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wailua Homesteads itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20094 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20203 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Douglas, declared for its 2 counties
- 20182 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Olivia, declared for its 2 counties
Its 2 counties have had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Wailua Homesteads after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wailua Homesteads archive →Wailua Homesteads and its neighbors
Wailua Homesteads is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Wailua Homesteads 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Wailua Homesteads
Is Wailua Homesteads at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wailua Homesteads has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #54 of 93 in Hawaii. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tsunamis (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wailua Homesteads flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Wailua Homesteads since 1988, $338K in all, or 5.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Wailua Homesteads 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 Kauai County, 7.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Wailua Homesteads?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wailua Homesteads’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Wailua Homesteads at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Wailua Homesteads’ rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wailua Homesteads.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wailua Homesteads’ 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.