Wainaku, HI
How exposed is Wainaku to wildfire?
Wainaku's 579 buildings earn a 68th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Wainaku's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 65th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
73.4% of Wainaku's 579 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 26.3% Direct and 0.4% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Wainaku ranks
Wainaku ranks lower within Hawaii (2nd percentile statewide) than its 68th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Wainaku ranks 10,146 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,114 by building count (1 is largest). Within Hawaii alone, it ranks 160 of 163 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Hawaii on its state page.
Wainaku and the insurance market
At the 68th percentile nationally, Wainaku carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Wainaku
Because 73.4% of Wainaku's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Wainaku's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Wainaku's 10,146-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Wainaku's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.