'The Wirecutter Show': The True Cost of Recovering from the L.A. Wildfires, Part 1
🤖 AI Summary
Overview
This episode explores the devastating impact of the 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires in Los Angeles, focusing on the personal stories of two Wirecutter writers, Michael Cohen and Gregory Han. Both share their experiences of loss, recovery, and the critical lessons they learned about disaster preparedness, community investment, and resilience. The episode offers actionable advice for anyone looking to prepare for natural disasters, which are becoming increasingly frequent due to climate change.
Notable Quotes
- In a disaster, it's probably happening so fast that there aren't uniformed crew members with organized instructions. So you have to be in charge of your own survival.
– Michael Cohen, on the importance of self-reliance during emergencies.
- Instead of expecting other people to be there for you, I think it's important to prepare to be there for other people too.
– Gregory Han, on the value of community investment in disaster preparedness.
- The silver linings that I remember are all the ways that different people in our community have shown up for each other.
– Michael Cohen, reflecting on the power of community during recovery.
🔥 The Impact of the Eaton Fire
- The Eaton fire destroyed over 16,000 structures, including Michael Cohen’s home, and displaced Gregory Han and his wife for six months due to severe pollution.
- The west side of Altadena, a historically Black middle-class community, was hit hardest, with 18 of the 19 fatalities occurring there.
- Both Michael and Gregory shared the emotional toll of witnessing their homes and neighborhoods devastated, with Michael recounting the helplessness of watching his home burn via a live camera feed.
🌬️ The Role of Extreme Weather
- The Santa Ana winds, combined with dry conditions, were a major factor in spreading the fires rapidly. Gregory Han evacuated preemptively due to the winds, recalling childhood memories of their destructive power.
- Evacuation orders were delayed or never received in some areas, including Michael Cohen’s neighborhood, highlighting systemic gaps in emergency response.
🏡 Lessons in Community Investment
- Both Michael and Gregory emphasized the importance of knowing and connecting with neighbors before a disaster. Their community became a vital resource for information, support, and recovery.
- Practical steps include creating neighborhood communication channels (e.g., WhatsApp groups) and participating in local volunteer efforts, such as brush cleanup.
🛠️ Actionable Preparedness Tips
- Build a personalized disaster prep kit, including essentials like a go-bag and evacuation plan.
- Understand home insurance policies thoroughly to avoid surprises during recovery.
- Invest in your home and community now—these efforts can significantly ease the challenges of a disaster.
🌳 Rebuilding and Resilience
- Recovery is a long, arduous process. Michael and Gregory reframed their advice to focus on actionable steps people can take before a disaster, such as documenting home inventories and preparing for the unexpected.
- Both emphasized the importance of emotional resilience and finding silver linings, such as the strengthened bonds within their community.
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📋 Episode Description
On January 7, 2025, the Palisades and Eaton Fires erupted, eventually burning down more than 16,000 structures and killing at least 31 people, becoming among the most destructive and deadly wildfires in California’s history.
Two Wirecutter writers, Gregory Han and Mike Cohen, lived through the Eaton fire. Both lived in Altadena, just outside Los Angeles. Gregory’s home was damaged, while Mike’s burned to the ground. They collaborated on an article sharing their biggest lessons of recovery, which Wirecutter published last July, as part of our emergency preparation coverage.
Now, in a special podcast series, they are sharing the biggest lessons they’ve learned from the past year–—and what they can teach you about how to prepare for a disaster.
Unfortunately, climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent, more intense, and more unpredictable. In the last year alone, we’ve seen cataclysmic floods in the Texas Hill Country, deadly tornadoes in many parts of the U.S., and increasing flash floods across the country, just to name a few. No one is completely insulated from these types of events.
In this first episode, we’ll introduce you to Gregory and Mike, and why they think it’s imperative to invest in your community before a disaster.
You can listen to parts two and three of this series here. Part three will be published on Jan. 12.
Actionable steps you can take from this episode:
- Invest in your community before a disaster. Information can be hard to come by during and in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. This is when knowing your neighbors can be invaluable. Both Gregory and Mike relied on neighbors and others in their community for information before, during, and after the fires. They’ve continued to share resources with this community as they’ve worked toward recovery over the past year.
- Create an easy way to communicate with your neighbors. This could be a text chain or a group chat–through something like WhatsApp or GroupMe. Maybe you’re already involved with a group that may eventually help in an emergency. Mike’s neighborhood thread started as a group of local dog owners before the fire.
- Join a volunteer organization in your community. After the fires, Gregory joined a group to do brush cleanup, which has helped deepen his connection with the people who live close to him.
You can find out more about Gregory Han on his website and on Instagram @typefiend
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