Climate team urges funding sources, better planning for destructive disasters

By Savannah Harriman-Pote for Hawaiʻi Public Radio

The fires raging across Southern California are predicted to cause $250 billion in losses and could become the most expensive fires in U.S. history.

The devastating blazes in Los Angeles County come just months after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton hit the southeast states. Each storm is estimated to have caused $50 billion in damages, much of which will not be covered by insurance.

Meanwhile, Hawaiʻi is still contending with the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires. Gov. Josh Green said last August that the recovery effort will likely “exceed $12 billion.”

The Climate Advisory Team, convened by Green last year, is urging the state to prepare for this new reality in which climate-fueled disasters are more destructive and more frequent.

Click here to read the article and listen to the recording aired on January 15, 2025.