Feb 18 Watch 5:58 Examining the truth about fighting fires in California amid water management claims By William Brangham, Sam Lane, Mike Fritz Last month’s wildfires in California destroyed thousands of homes, killed at least 29 people and will likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars. President Trump has claimed that state officials made the disaster worse by how they managed the state’s… Continue watching
Feb 11 Watch 7:03 Students and teachers find ways to keep learning after wildfires destroy schools By William Brangham, Mike Fritz, Sam Lane Amid the devastation of the wildfires that tore through Southern California last month, thousands had their education disrupted. At least a dozen schools were burned or so badly damaged that students can’t return any time soon. William Brangham spent time… Continue watching
Feb 11 Hawaii court rules against insurance companies in Maui wildfire, allowing $4 billion settlement to proceed By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press The massive inferno that was the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century decimated the historic town of Lahaina, killing more than 100 people. Continue reading
Feb 10 Watch 9:06 California faces insurance crisis as homeowners lose coverage amid extreme weather By William Brangham, Sam Lane, Mike Fritz Before thousands lost their homes in the recent Los Angeles wildfires, many had lost their insurance. Some residents found that their policies had been cancelled as companies said the rising cost of rebuilding, and the risk of extreme weather, was… Continue watching
Feb 06 California utility says its equipment may have started blaze that erupted during LA firestorm By Christopher Weber, Associated Press A California utility says its equipment may have sparked a small wildfire in Los Angeles that broke out the same day as two massive blazes in the area killed at least 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Continue reading
Feb 02 Watch 6:50 California's devastating wildfires leave lingering mental health toll on residents By Ali Rogin, Claire Mufson, Satvi Sunkara California officials declared this weekend that the last of the deadly fires that destroyed more than 16,000 structures were fully contained. As cleanup crews work to clear debris, contain toxins and evaluate damage, residents are grappling with the lingering mental… Continue watching
Jan 29 Emergency alert systems lagged when residents needed them most during LA wildfires By Christopher L. Keller, Claudia Lauer, Amy Taxin, Rebecca Boone, Associated Press When disaster strikes, government emergency alert systems offer a simple promise: Residents will get information about nearby dangers and instructions to help them stay safe. Continue reading
Jan 28 Watch 4:41 Pacific Palisades residents begin to face extent of wildfire recovery By Amna Nawaz, William Brangham Recovery efforts continue in Southern California as the fires that ravaged the state have now largely gone out. William Brangham reports from the Los Angeles area where he has been speaking to people who are hoping to get back to… Continue watching
Jan 28 Climate change made conditions that fed California wildfires more likely and intense, preliminary study finds By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press Tuesday's report, too rapid for peer-review yet, found global warming boosted the likelihood of high fire weather conditions in this month's fires by 35 percent and its intensity by 6 percent. Continue reading
Jan 27 Southern California rain helps fight fires but causes mudflows, boosting toxic ash runoff risk By Christopher Weber, Associated Press Rain is easing after Southern California’s first significant storm of the season brought weekend downpours that aided firefighters but caused ash, mud and debris to flow across streets in wildfire-burned areas. Continue reading