In Hawaii, the death toll from the historic Maui wildfires has reached at least 55 people and decimated the town of Lahaina, once the epicenter of the Kingdom of Hawaii. One of the more than 1,700 structures that were destroyed is the Na ’Aikane o Maui Cultural Center. Earlier today, Hawaii Governor Josh Green described the sheer scale of the disaster.

Gov. Josh Green: “What we saw was likely the largest natural disaster in Hawaii state history. … We are seeing loss of life here. As you know, the number has been rising, and we will continue to see loss of life. … We also have seen many hundreds of homes destroyed, and that’s going to take a great deal of time to recover from. But that’s why we come together. … But we talked to an old gentleman who hadn’t seen anything like this ever in his life, a wildfire that took a whole city. His neighbors have all lost their homes. His home was intact, but he was in tears. This is a gentleman that doesn’t cry easily.”

Some residents questioned why Hawaii’s emergency warning system didn’t go off as blazes raged closer and closer to their homes. President Biden has declared a major disaster as the Hawaiian tragedy has shone a spotlight on the urgency of the unfolding climate catastrophe, as well as the ongoing exploitation and occupation of the islands by the U.S. After headlines, we’ll spend the hour on the Maui wildfires.