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'The Wirecutter Show': The True Cost of Recovering from the L.A. Wildfires, Part 1

'The Wirecutter Show': The True Cost of Recovering from the L.A. Wildfires, Part 1

The Daily vor 8 Monaten

In a special series from "The Wirecutter Show," we share what two Wirecutter writers learned recovering from the L.A. wildfires—and the vital lessons they can teach you. Listen to the first episode.

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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

Additional reading:

The LA Wildfires Devastated the Homes of Two Wirecutter
Writers. Here’s What They Learned While Recovering.

Build Your Own Disaster-Prep Kit

How to Prepare Your Pantry for an Emergency

9 Extreme Weather Survivors Share the Tools That Helped Them
Get Through Disaster

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The Wirecutter Show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and
produced by Abigail Keel.Engineering support from Maddy Masiello
and Nick Pitman. Episodes are mixed by Catherine Anderson, Efim
Shapiro, Rowan Niemisto, Sophia Lanman, and Sonia Herrero.
Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and
Diane Wong. Wirecutter’s deputy publisher and general manager is
Cliff Levy. Ben Frumin is Wirecutter’s editor-in-chief. Hosted by
Rosie Guerin, Caira Blackwell and Christine Cyr Clisset.

Find edited transcripts for each episode here: The Wirecutter
Show Podcast

For more information on today’s episode, visit
nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each
episode will be made available by the next workday.

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