It's the Brian Lairn on WNYC.

And to end the show today, we're going to be talking about how we can help the folks in Los Angeles who have been dealing with all the destruction from the fires since January 7th.

We might be far away, but this city certainly has faced its own calamities, and so many of us

have friends and family in Southern California who may even be staying with us right now.

So let's talk about how to best help with our guest, Elise Hugh, a journalist and podcaster in L.A., whose work you

might have heard this week on NPR. Welcome to the show, Elise. Thanks so much for joining us.

Thank you for having me. And if you could tell us, how are you doing in the midst of this crisis for your city?

Yeah, thanks for asking. Well, physically well, you know, and I'm under a roof,

but this is a horribly disorienting time

for the entire community.

So I'm kind of just shell-shocked.

And everybody in LA knows somebody who lost everything

because of the scale and the scope of this disaster.

It's so wide, it's so far reaching. So it's been a rough start to the year for LA.

But at the same time, in a lot of the worst of the crises we've encountered as humans, you know, we see the best of humanity.

And that's really warmed me so far in this, gosh, over a week now that we've been having to deal with these disasters. Yeah,

it's truly an awful start to the year. Listeners, we want to hear from you as well. If you've found

good ways to help, what pressing needs are you hearing about from friends and family in L.A.

You can call or text us at 212-433 W-N-YC.

That's 212-433-9692.

At least, just to start, you know, where do things stand now with the fires?

I've read that the winds have subsided, but may come back, but the fires are still in, you know, active threat

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