In this episode of Disaster Discussions, host Rachael Penton Gauthier explores KB Home’s groundbreaking Dixon Trail development in Escondido, CA—the first neighborhood in the U.S. to receive a provisional Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood™ designation, with every home in the development constructed to the Wildfire Prepared Home Plus level-IBHS's most rigorous wildfire resilience standard. KB Home’s President and Regional General Manager Steve Ruffner shares the bold design choices and strategic cost trade-offs that made this resilience possible, as well as feedback from residents who have made this neighborhood their home and saved on insurance in the process. The episode also dives into the policy, planning, and insurability hurdles builders face and outlines KB Home’s forward-looking commitment to wildfire-resilient construction.

What happens when a storm meets smart construction choices? Mark Fowler from the Alabama Department of Insurance and Dr. Lawrence Powell from the University of Alabama's Center for Risk and Insurance Research join Disaster Discussions to unpack a groundbreaking new report on IBHS FORTIFIED Home construction performance during Hurricane Sally- a strong category two storm that struck the highest concentration of FORTIFIED homes in the nation. This episode dives into how homes built or retrofitted to FORTIFIED standards significantly outperformed both traditional construction homes and those built to municipal building codes—sustaining less damage and saving homeowners and insurers millions of dollars.

It's been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005, bringing wind and record storm surge to areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Stormchaser Josh Morgerman- also known as iCyclone- joins the podcast for a discussion about the record storm surge coastal Mississippi experienced during Katrina, sometimes referred to as the "Forgotten Coast" in the months after the storm. We also discuss the cultural and economic toll the storm caused, and what the recovery looks like two decades later. Plus, Josh discusses his FORTIFIED "Hurricane House" that he has made home on the Mississippi coast, and he takes us around the world to discuss his cyclone chasing adventures.