HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Disasters like the firestorm raging in Los Angeles County make insurance coverage increasingly hard to get or afford, and other economic repercussions can reverberate beyond California. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to make Hawaii more resilient and durable, but it does come with a cost. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You The apocalyptic scenes in California are all too familiar in Hawaii, with many parallels to the Lahaina and Upcountry wildfires of 2023. "I just saw family friends posting of a photo of their home two days ago, and a photo of the ashes today, and it really hits home when you see those things,” said Chris Benjamin, who leads Gov. Josh Green's Climate Advisory Team (CAT). Former Hawaii resident recalls events leading up to LA evacuation CAT’s job? Figure out public policies that can make Hawaii more resilient from future disasters and help speed up economic and structural recovery if they hit. The very day the Los Angeles firestorm erupted, CAT's first set of recommendations for the upcoming legislative session was released. "It's a terrible coincidence of timing,” Benjamin said, “but frankly, almost every month we have some sort of example of another new natural disaster. It's a good reminder that we do also need to take these steps, but it is a tragedy.” Tragedies like this are so costly in lives and destruction, but also in rebuilding and reinsuring, and they’re likely to reoccur. CAT's report estimates annual losses of $1.4 billion for all properties in Hawaii due to potential disasters like hurricanes and floods, wildfires, even earthquakes. It found what they called a "growing crisis in the insurance market" making Hawaii's cost of living even higher. "There's no doubt that we have a large number of residents who just can't afford the insurance," Benjamin said. “A lot of people are choosing not to pay the premium, and that's that can be really catastrophic if we have losses." Separately a state property insurance task force is working on a last-resort type of coverage through the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to try to help stabilize things here at home. Kaimuki grad catches harrowing moments of California fires on camera KHON2 asked the state insurance commissioner what he's on the lookout for, especially as the Los Angeles fires worsen. The Insurance Division said in a statement: “These events have significantly impacted the insurance industry, particularly in California, where major insurers have withdrawn from high-risk areas…Such large-scale events can have indirect effects on our local insurance landscape." The Insurance Division says big claims sure to come from L.A. can have a ripple effect on: Increased reinsurance costs -- meaning Hawaii primary insurers would have to charge more Tighter underwriting standards -- meaning coverage becomes less available and less affordable "Potential premium adjustments" -- meaning price hikes on your insurance bill The Insurance Division said it is "committed to ensuring that Hawaii's insurance market remains robust and that consumers continue to have access to reliable coverage." The CAT team's policy outlook says reducing risk in Hawaii would make us easier to cover, if we can make our homes stronger and our communities safer. "If we can do that,” Benjamin said, “I think over time and the implementation of many of our recommendations will help increase the insurability and therefore lower the cost of insuring homes in Hawaii." Among the other CAT policy advice: Establish a permanent state resilience office; Spend money on infrastructure, from houses to shelters, ports, utilities and the natural environment; and Expand and fund the state fire marshal and Firewise programs. There's a price tag too, with debate about to begin at the Capitol over the best way to pay for two new proposed funds: $1.4 billion dollars over five years for a Hawaii Climate Resilience Fund; plus $500,000 for a Hawaii Disaster Recovery Fund, a safety net for emergency relief payments post-disaster. Check out more news from around Hawaii The CAT team is making a virtual presentation of its findings to the community on Friday, Jan. 10. Click HERE to pre-register. "These needs are real. They're going to be expensive to address. We're going to have to spend money,” Benjamin said. “But if we don't spend this money, the cost of inaction is going to be far greater than the cost of action."