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
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 VERM areas. And VERM areas are those places most vulnerable to fire. In other words, he and his research team are predicting the next place a destructive wildfire will strike. The product is free because it’s produced by NASA and paid for with federal tax dollars. But like so many scientific initiatives funded by the federal government, there’s a chance it will soon hit the chopping block. Dr. Potter sits down with host Cameron Barrett to talk about the VERM maps, what we can learn from them, and how we can use them to mitigate a wildfire before it even starts.
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