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Months after the Palisades and Eaton Fires swept through Los Angeles County, many people are still struggling emotionally. So much so, that California Assemblymember John Harabedian has introduced legislation that would require insurance companies, as part of disaster claims, to cover up to 12 sessions with a mental health professional. This week, we talk to Dr. Veronica Viesca about that struggle. She is a Marriage and Family Therapist, an Assistant Professor at Pepperine University, and the founder of the Center for Mental Health Excellence. She joins host Cameron Barrett to discuss how the mental health of individuals says a lot about the community as a whole, and how a phenomenon called post-traumatic growth, is building resilience across the community.

Resources:

• Center for Mental Health Excellence
• Pro Bono Mental Health Providers
• Spectrum News Piece of Mental Health After the Fires
• Assemblymember John Harabedian - District 41

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For 30 years, the aerial firefighters of Quebec have had an agreement with California. When we call for help, they come. Pascal Duclos is the Chief Pilot of an elite firefighting force called the Quebec Scoopers. They fly a unique aircraft, the CL415, which was designed and built in Canada to do one thing - drop water on wildfires. And that's exactly what Duclos and his team did during the Palisades Fire. He says he learned one thing fighting that urban conflagration in 100 mph wind gusts - that nature is stronger than we are. He joins host Cameron Barrett to talk about the Palisades Fire, his highly-skilled brand of firefighting, climate change, and more.

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The second half of our conversation with Jon Brown brings him out of the ashes of the Palisades Fire, and right into a property fight with the owners of the mobile home park where he lived with his wife and two young kids. The Palisades Bowl was one of the last rent controlled neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and when the Palisades Fire swept through, nearly 400 people were left homeless. Those neighbors have come together to create the Palisades Bowl Community Partnership, to try and get recovery underway, with the final mission to rebuild the Park. Unfortunately, owners of the Park haven’t exactly been proactive, or even responsive. Jon discusses with host Cameron Barrett the road ahead, and how he and his neighbors might even try to buy the Bowl and rebuild their lives.

Resources:

• Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Park
• Jon Brown Real Estate

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Jon Brown is one of the 400 residents of the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Park that no longer has a neighborhood to go home to. All 170+ homes are gone, flattened by the Palisades Fire. Jon joins host Cameron Barrett for a two-part conversation about how he and his young family escaped the fire. But Jon’s story is bigger than just running from the fire. In fact, the fire was just the beginning of his fight. Jon’s story is one of resilience, leadership, and a relentless commitment to his neighbors. Across two episodes, he shares the emotional and logistical challenges of rebuilding after disaster, the fight against negligent property owners, and the power of a united community working together to return home. Part I is Jon’s survival story. Part II (available April 4th) is about the power of a united community working together to return home.

Resources:

• Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Estates
• Jon Brown Real Estate

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Cameron Barrett’s guest this episode of Sean Scott, a contractor by trade, and the author of a book you want to get on your shelf as soon as possible. The Red Guide to Recovery is a spiral bound Bible for homeowner who is navigating a disaster, whether that’s something as personal a a burst pipe, or as catastrophic as the Eaton or Palisades Fires. It’s even a terrific resource for those who want to prepare for a potential disaster. MySafe:LA, and fire departments all over North America, have been handing out the book to survivors for more than a decade. Here’s the guide you’ve been waiting for to navigate insurance, avoid scams, clean up safely and much more.

Resources:

• The Red Guide to Recovery Website
• The Red Guide to Recovery on Amazon
• Secrets of the Insurance Game
• NFPA’s Most Home Fires Result from 5 General Causes
• Matterport Scan

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So much has been written and said about the Palisades Fire, that it sometimes is confounding how the “other” fire that burned through a community in LA County in early January, goes unmentioned. The Eaton Fire started within hours of the Palisades Fire. It came roaring out of Eaton Canyon, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, just 20 miles northeast of downtown LA, and destroyed thousands of homes and killed 17 people. That’s more death and destruction than the Palisades Fire. It leveled much of Altadena, a storied city filled with a century of African American history. The area had been a welcome home for Black professionals and creatives. The McFarland Family was among them. They lost everything in the fire. Pastor Anthony McFarland and his daughter Jessica Fernandez talk to host Cameron Barrett about their harrowing evacuation and survival. They have a lot of questions now that the fire is out, and are looking for answers. Hear their remarkable story on Rebuild:LA.

Resources:

• Eaton Fire Disaster Recovery
• History of Altadena
• Eaton Fire Damage Maps
• Abundant Harvest Christian Center
• Parlee Inc

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Jim Kniss makes his living flying over wildfires, making GIS and infrared maps for firefighters. It's all pretty cutting edge technology. But what he's most passionate about is a little more old school. He's working to get Beacon Boxes into rural neighborhoods in fire-prone areas of California. He and the team at FireMapper, LLC have already installed dozens in Beverly Hills, Agoura Hills and Malibu, with more going in to Chatsworth, Bell Canyon and Malibu Lake. Beacon Boxes are like old-timey fireboxes from the last century, but with some very high tech tools inside. Kniss sits down with host Cameron Barrett to talk about what's in Beacon Boxes, why every rural community in California needs them, and who accessed them in Malibu during the Palisades Fire. Spoiler Alert - no one knows! But maybe you can help us find out.

Resources:

• FireMapper, LLC
• Beacon Boxes

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Dr. Chris Potter calls it VERM, or vegetation ember index. He’s an earth scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, and he’s developed a new mapping product that shows VERM areas. And VERM areas are those places most vulnerable to fire. In other words, he and his research team are predicting the next place a destructive wildfire will strike. The product is free because it’s produced by NASA and paid for with federal tax dollars. But like so many scientific initiatives funded by the federal government, there’s a chance it will soon hit the chopping block. Dr. Potter sits down with host Cameron Barrett to talk about the VERM maps, what we can learn from them, and how we can use them to mitigate a wildfire before it even starts.

Resources:

• NASA's Ames Research Center
• NASA
• Ember Risk Modeling