The Choice To Rebuild After A Natural Disaster

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4.4 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 27 March 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

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Summary

As the earth continues to heat up unsustainably due to society's love of fossil fuels, scientists say natural disasters are only going to become more frequent and more destructive. That's something California knows all too well. Wildfires burned more than 58,000 acres this year and destroyed more than 16,000 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

For many towns, a disaster like a wildfire or hurricane can completely destroy the town and its history, leaving its residents wondering if it can ever be what it once was.

The Altadena community is seeing that process play out. The Eaton fire killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 homes when it burned through the neighborhood outside of Los Angeles earlier this year.

We discuss what choices families are left to face in the aftermath of a disaster that destroys their home, and what the process looks like if you do try to rebuild.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life.
0:07.8	Powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket.
0:12.7	Science is approachable because it's already part of your life.
0:17.2	Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR.
0:30.3	Music Come explore these connections on the shortwave podcast from NPR. Houses are one of the biggest sources of generational wealth for many families.
0:35.0	But natural disasters can destroy much of that wealth in an instant. And as
0:39.1	the earth continues to heat up unsustainably due to society's love of fossil fuels, scientists say natural
0:45.1	disasters are only going to become more frequent and more destructive. That's something California
0:50.4	knows all too well when it comes to wildfires. According to the California Department of
0:55.2	Forestry and Fire Protection, wildfires have burned more than 58,000 acres this year and destroyed
1:01.5	more than 16,000 structures. For many towns, a disaster like a wildfire or hurricane can completely
1:08.7	destroy the town and its history, leaving its residents wondering if it can
1:12.6	ever be what it once was. What choices are families faced with in the aftermath of a disaster
1:18.1	that destroys their home? What does the process look like if you do try to rebuild? The Altadena
1:23.6	community is finding out. The Eaton Fire killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 homes
1:29.6	when it burned through the neighborhood outside of Los Angeles earlier this year. We hear from one
1:34.3	resident dealing with the aftermath of the fires after the break. I'm Jen White. You're listening
1:39.0	to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the story. We'll be back in just a moment.
1:54.9	This is Tanya Mosley, co-host of Fresh Air. You'll see your favorite actors, directors, and comedians on late-night TV shows or YouTube, but what you get with Fresh Air is a deep dive. Spend some quality time with
2:02.5	people like Billy Elish, Questlove, Ariana Grande, Stephen Colbert, and so many more. We ask
2:09.2	questions you won't hear asked anywhere else. Listen to the Fresh Air podcast from NPR and WHY.
2:19.5	Well, well, well, the bros have discovered psychedelics.
	...

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