Rebuild:LA
When the firestorms of January 2025 raged through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, they left nearly 30 people dead and historic destruction in their wake. Recovery will be a long, uphill road and rebuilding will take years and dedicated planning. This podcast takes a deep dive into the circumstances that led to the fires, how people can prepare for future wildfires - which are inevitable - and how Angeleños can come together to rebuild our beautiful city.
Rebuild:LA is the proud winner of the 2025 Award of Excellence from the Communicator Awards!
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 37 minutes
- Episodes
- 42
- Years Active
- 2025
Rebuild:LA Episode 022 - Post-Traumatic Growth with Dr. Veronica Viesca
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…
Rebuild:LA Episode 021 - We Were At The Limit of Our Aircraft with Pascal Duclos
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 …
Rebuild:LA Episode 020 - I Knew My Home and My Town Were in Danger with Survivor Jon Brown - Part II
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 li…
Rebuild:LA Episode 019 - I Knew My Home and My Town Were in Danger with Survivor Jon Brown - Part I
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…
Rebuild:LA Episode 018 - The Recovery Bible with Author Sean Scott
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 spi…
Rebuild:AL Episode 017 - Like Driving Through a Volcano with Jessica Fernandez and Pastor Anthony McFarland
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 unm…
RebuildLA Episode 016 - Can a Beacon Box Save Your Neighborhood From Wildfire with Jim Kniss
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…
Rebuild:LA Episode 015 - Where the Next Destructive Wildfire Will Be with NASA’s Dr. Chris Potter
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 …
RebuildLA Episode 014 - Disasters Are Going to Keep Happening with Bright Harbor's Joel Wish
Monday, March 31, 2025 (an extended date) is an important deadline if you’ve been effected by the Eaton or Palisades fires. That’s when you have to register for FEMA benefits if you’ve …
Rebuild:LA Episode 013 - The City Failed Us with Survivor Sue Pascoe
Sue Pascoe, her husband, and their two dogs evacuated the Palisades Fire on January 7, 2025 with a couple of overnight bags and the dogs' food bowls. They'd evacuated plenty of times be…
Rebuild:LA Episode 012 - Build Back Better with Alexis Rivas of Cover
Nearly two months after wildfires swept through the communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, the dust and ash have settled. People are now taking stock of what they have and wheth…
Rebuild:LA Episode 011 - Can We Out-Think Wildfires with the NFPA's Michele Steinberg
The National Fire Protection Association has been creating fire code in American since the late 1800's. We have the NFPA to thank for fire sprinklers in apartment buildings and fire doo…
Rebuild:LA Episode 010 - Are The Kids Alright with Chloe Canton
5,000 Los Angeles school children were affected by the Palisades and Eaton Fires. That's a lot of kids who either lost their homes, or their schools, or both. Cameron Barrett asks licen…
Rebuild:LA Episode 009 - A Particularly Dangerous Situation with Rich Thompson from the NWS
Rich Thompson is an incident meteorologist (IMET) with the National Weather Service, which means he predicts weather during disasters to help first responders during the active phase of…
Rebuild:LA Episode 008 - Rebuilding LA for All of LA with Councilmember John Lee
Councilmember John Lee of Los Angeles' CD #12 sits down with Cameron Barrett to talk about his district's recovery efforts in the wake of the January fires, how he plans on managing the…
Rebuild:LA Episode 007 - The Ripple Effects of the Fires with Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez
Eunisses Hernandez is the Councilmember representing District #1 in the City of Los Angeles. Her constituents live miles from both the Palisades and the Eaton Fires. No one in Council D…
Rebuild:LA Episode 006 - A Tornado of Fire with Justice Tricia Bigelow (ret)
We mark the month anniversary of the January firestorms with our first survivor story. Cameron Barrett sat down with retired Superior Court Judge, Justice Tricia Bigelow. She barely had…
Rebuild:LA Episode 005 - Stories from the Firestorms of January with Greg Doyle
Greg Doyle has been shooting photographs of wildfires for the last 12 years. His works has been featured in fire magazines and websites, including www.wildfirela.org. It's safe to say t…
Rebuild:LA Episode 004 - Do You Have Enough Wildfire Insurance with Real Estate Broker Pat Hanley
When homeowners who lost everything in the Eaton and Palisades Fires called their insurance companies, some of them had a rude awakening, adding more misery to families who had already …
Rebuild:LA Episode 003 - Fighting the Palisades Fire From The Sky with CAL FIRE Aviation's Linnea Edmeier
Linnea Edmeier sits down with host Cameron Barrett, to bring us her story from thousands of feet above the Palisades Fire. Edmeier is the Public Information Officer for CAL FIRE's Aviat…