Dr. Lucy Jones on Fire Recovery, Debris Flow Risks, and Building Resilience in LA

Post-Fire Recovery and Investor Activity

• 📈 New data indicates increased investor activity in recent LA fire burn zones, with investors buying a significant portion of lots sold in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Malibu.
• 🏠 Some residents, particularly in Altadena, are selling due to a lack of financial resources to rebuild, while a large number of land listings remain available.

The "Getting Through It: After The Fires" Podcast

• 🎙️ Dr. Lucy Jones, co-hosting with John Bwarie, guides residents through recovery with her podcast, focusing on scientific information related to natural disasters.
• 💡 The podcast's new season specifically addresses post-fire concerns like soil contamination, building safer homes, and health impacts, using science to answer resident questions.

Understanding Soil Contamination and Air Quality

• 🧪 Science can determine the level of soil contamination and compare it to background levels, often finding that post-fire contamination is comparable to living near a freeway.
• 💨 While air contamination from fires passed relatively quickly, lead levels saw a significant increase, though still less than an average day in the 1970s.
• ⚠️ Residents within the burn scar itself may face serious contamination depending on what burned nearby, while those outside the region have less cause for worry.

Debris Flows and Future Risks

• ⚠️ A major concern post-fire is the risk of debris flows, which are very dangerous and often underestimated by the public.
• 🌊 Historically, more lives have been lost to floods and landslides in Southern California than to earthquakes.

Building a Resilient California

• 🏗️ Building codes are crucial for resilience and, despite a small upfront cost, save significant money in the long run.
• 🤝 The strength of a community and its people having connections is the most important factor in recovery, with fires sometimes making communities even stronger.

Seismic Activity in California

• 🎛️ 2024 has been a relatively quiet year seismically, with fewer magnitude 4+ earthquakes compared to previous years, indicating no permanent change in earthquake rates.
• 🤫 A quiet year seismically can be concerning, as it doesn't mean the risk is gone.