How to Disaster

In this How to Disaster double episode of “Kim at the Summit,” veteran podcaster and Palisades Fire survivor Kim Marshall talks with three community leaders using their skills and experience to support recovery across generations. First, Kim speaks with Kasey Earnest of the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu, whose work has evolved to support children and families who have lived through COVID-19 and...

Disaster recovery does not end when the cameras leave or rebuilding begins. Jennifer Gray Thompson looks at the role disaster case managers play in helping survivors navigate FEMA, insurance, housing, loans, benefits, and the many systems that can quickly turn recovery into a full-time job. She also discusses the recent uncertainty around disaster case management funding in Los Angeles, and why di...

Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella joins Jennifer Gray Thompson to talk about what disaster recovery looks like from inside one of the country’s largest and most complex public systems.  Drawing from both his professional role and his own experience of being displaced by fire, Mark explains why rebuilding depends on far more than permits and infrastructure. They discuss trust,...

Paul Lowenthal has spent years responding to wildfire from both sides: as a fire service professional and as someone who lost his own home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire.  In this conversation, he and Jennifer Gray Thompson look at what Santa Rosa learned while rebuilding, why experienced recovery leaders matter, and how those lessons have been carried into communities from Maui to Los Angeles.  They also...

Mayor Richard Bissen reflects on leading Maui through the immediate response and long recovery following the August 2023 fires.  He shares why listening, community meetings, trusted local advisers, and careful preparation have shaped the county’s approach to rebuilding Lahaina. The conversation also explores the tension between urgency and safety, the importance of protecting communities from outs...

In this episode of How to Disaster, Jennifer speaks with American singer and songwriter Aloe Blacc about the Eaton Fire, its impact on his family, and the community of Altadena that he has worked to support in its aftermath. He reflects on evacuating during extreme winds, seeing places his children knew and loved damaged by the fire, and carrying both personal grief and a growing responsibility to...

In this episode of How to Disaster, Jennifer speaks with Renae Hanvin and Dr. Daniel P. Aldrich about why relationships are one of the strongest foundations of disaster resilience and recovery. Together, they explain social capital in plain language: the connections, trust, and cooperation that help communities prepare, respond, and rebuild.  The conversation looks at how these ties can be measure...

In this episode of How to Disaster, Jennifer Gray Thompson talks with Tennis Wick, former Permit Sonoma Building Department Director, about what local government becomes after a megafire. Drawing from Sonoma County’s 2017 fires, Tennis reflects on the early chaos, the emotional weight carried by public servants, and the responsibility of serving people who have lost nearly everything. Together, Je...

In this episode of How to Disaster, Jennifer speaks with Alex Athenson of the Foothill Catalog Foundation and Chris Corbett of Altadena Collective about rebuilding after the Eaton Fire.  Both guests bring an architectural lens to recovery, but their work begins with survivors, community identity, and the emotional weight of coming home. Together, they explore how thoughtful design, pre-approved pl...

Ash Level is AN ATLADENA NATIVE AND the founder of Altadena Rising, an organisation born from the Eaton Fire that is focused on empowering survivors and filling the gaps that outside institutions consistently miss. Nicole Huguenin is part of Maui Rapid Response, a hub within a wider network of organisations that has been doing care at scale since the Lahaina fire and through four major storms sinc...

In this episode, Jennifer Gray Thompson speaks with Tyler Freres about what it can mean to rebuild with wood after a megafire. Tyler shares the story of his family’s long-standing timber business in Oregon’s Santiam Canyon, how the Beachie Creek Fire affected both the community and their forestland, and why the recovery of burned timber matters for local economies, land restoration, and future res...

In this episode of How to Disaster, Jennifer Gray Thompson speaks with cartoonist and author Brian Fies about A Fire Story, his graphic memoir about losing his home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Brian shares how the book began in the first days after the fire, when he was still trying to understand what had happened while also documenting it with the eyes of a storyteller. Their conversation moves throu...

A home can be rebuilt after wildfire and still be hard to keep if insurance becomes unaffordable or unavailable. Jennifer Gray Thompson talks with Jen Goodlin of Rebuild Paradise Foundation and Valerie Brown, an insurance and disaster recovery expert, about the long, complicated work of helping people get all the way home. Together, they look at one of the biggest barriers in recovery: insurance,...

Cecelia Girr is Director of Cultural Strategy at Backslash, the cultural intelligence unit of Omnicom Advertising, and the author of Ready Is the New Well, a landmark report for the Global Wellness Institute on preparedness as a cultural movement. Kim Marshall is the host of LA Rising: Stories of Healing, Help, and Hope, a podcast born from the LA fires. In this special double-hosted episode, Cece...

Jennifer Gray Thompson speaks with Eaton Fire survivor, journalist, and PostFire co-founder iO Wright about what happens when a person loses their home and is suddenly forced to navigate a recovery system that is confusing, fragmented, and often hard to access. iO shares how he and his partner, Patty, turned their own experience of loss into PostFire, a revolutionary survivor-centered platform des...

Joel Pollak is a journalist, opinion editor at the California Post , and a Palisades Fire survivor, devoted husband and father of four whose home survived the fire but was badly smoke-damaged, and with four children, he and his wife had to fight the insurance company. They are still not home. In this episode, Joel joins Jennifer Gray Thompson to talk about what it actually means to have a standing...

Ralph Bloemers is an environmental law attorney, filmmaker, and storyteller whose work has taken him from burn landscapes in eastern Oregon to the halls of Congress and the screens of PBS. He is the co-creator, with filmmaker Trip Jennings, of Elemental and Weathered, two landmark films on fire, forests, and the communities living with both. In this episode, Ralph joins Jennifer Gray Thompson for...

John Mills is the co-founder and CEO of Watch Duty, a nonprofit emergency alerting app that gives civilians real-time wildfire intelligence drawn directly from first responder radio traffic. In this episode, John joins Jennifer Gray Thompson to talk about how Watch Duty was built, why it was necessary, and where it is headed. They cover the problem Watch Duty was created to solve, how it scaled fr...

In this relaunch episode, Jennifer Gray Thompson explains why How to Disaster is returning now and what the show is here to offer people living through disaster and recovery.  She shares how After the Fire began, what the organization has learned from years of walking alongside fire-affected communities, and why recovery works better when people do not try to carry it alone. The episode also intro...

In this heartfelt closing session of the Wildfire Leadership Summit, Jennifer Gray Thompson reflects on the journey from disaster to recovery. She shares the powerful story of how communities across California, Oregon, and Hawaii have rebuilt after devastating wildfires—from Santa Rosa and Paradise to Greenville and Lahaina. With gratitude for her dedicated team, partners, and community leaders, J...

A heartfelt address on Maui's wildfire recovery, community resilience, and rebuilding efforts, delivered by a local leader. The speaker reflects on the importance of community-led recovery, cultural preservation, emergency preparedness, and housing stability. Highlights include progress on rebuilding Lahaina, strengthening emergency management, and ensuring residents can return home. The talk...

Join moderator Reva Feldman and an expert panel as they explore the role of technology in disaster response and recovery. Panelists include iO Wright, co-founder of Post Fire; John Mills CEO, Watch Duty; and Adrienne Heinz,Clinical Research Psychologist, VA National Center for PTSD and Stanford University School of Medicine. Learn how innovative tools like Watch Duty and Post Fire are helping comm...

State Senator Ben Allen shares a heartfelt message at the After the Fire 2025 Wildfire Leadership Summit, highlighting the challenges and progress in wildfire recovery for communities across Los Angeles County. He reflects on lessons learned from past disasters, emphasizes the importance of collaboration and survivor voices, and thanks the network of recovery professionals and volunteers supportin...

In this insightful panel discussion, community leaders share their powerful stories and strategies for equitable wildfire recovery. Tawnya Somauroo, Co-Founder, Marshall Together, discusses how her organization supports fire survivors through advocacy, legislative reform, and community rebuilding. Ash Level, Strategic Partnerships, Engagement, & Storytelling, Altadena Rising, underscores the i...

Join Jennifer Gray Thompson as she moderates an insightful panel discussion with Christine Kwon, Jen Goodlin, and Nicole Huguenin on leadership and community-driven disaster recovery. Drawing from their experiences responding to wildfires in California and Hawaii, the panel explores the challenges of post-disaster leadership, building trust, addressing gaps in recovery, and sustaining impact beyon...