Waimanalo Beach, HI
Waimanalo Beach wildfire risk explained
Waimanalo Beach's 1,489 buildings earn a 95th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Waimanalo Beach at the 92nd percentile, close to its 95th-percentile risk score.
Where Waimanalo Beach's buildings actually sit
1,489 buildings are counted in Waimanalo Beach, and 93.8% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 6.3% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Waimanalo Beach compares
Waimanalo Beach ranks lower within Hawaii (75th percentile statewide) than its 95th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Waimanalo Beach ranks 1,573 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,212 by building count (1 is largest). Within Hawaii alone, it ranks 42 of 163 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Hawaii on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Waimanalo Beach's very high rating (95th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Waimanalo Beach (93.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Waimanalo Beach's figures come from
Waimanalo Beach's 95th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Waimanalo Beach's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.