Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella joins Jennifer Gray Thompson to talk about what disaster recovery looks like from inside one of the country’s largest and most complex public systems.

Drawing from both his professional role and his own experience of being displaced by fire, Mark explains why rebuilding depends on far more than permits and infrastructure. They discuss trust, coordination, community voice, mental health, and the small signs of normalcy that can matter deeply after disaster.

The conversation offers a closer look at how public servants can help create more certainty while still giving communities agency over what comes next.

Resources:

• How to Disaster
• Learn more about After the Fire USA
• After the Fire USA Resource Library
• Connect with Jennifer Gray Thompson on LinkedIn

Produced by NOVA

Paul Lowenthal has spent years responding to wildfire from both sides: as a fire service professional and as someone who lost his own home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire.

In this conversation, he and Jennifer Gray Thompson look at what Santa Rosa learned while rebuilding, why experienced recovery leaders matter, and how those lessons have been carried into communities from Maui to Los Angeles.

They also talk about the relationships behind effective mutual aid, the importance of preparing new leaders, and what it means to show up for another community with both technical knowledge and lived experience.

Resources:

• How to Disaster
• Learn more about After the Fire USA
• After the Fire USA Resource Library
• The City of Santa Rosa
• Connect with Jennifer Gray Thompson on LinkedIn

Produced by NOVA

Mayor Richard Bissen reflects on leading Maui through the immediate response and long recovery following the August 2023 fires.

He shares why listening, community meetings, trusted local advisers, and careful preparation have shaped the county’s approach to rebuilding Lahaina. The conversation also explores the tension between urgency and safety, the importance of protecting communities from outside interests, and why recovery must restore people and culture, not only structures.

In “Kim on the Street,” Lahaina Brewing Company founder Mary Anderson shares how cooperation and community support helped her business find a way forward after the fire.

Resources:

• How to Disaster
• Learn more about After the Fire USA
• After the Fire USA Resource Library
• County of Maui
• Connect with Jennifer Gray Thompson on LinkedIn

Produced by NOVA