As devastating wildfires continue to burn in the Los Angeles area, experts at Columbia Climate School are doing their best to determine how these fires became so catastrophic and what is needed to recover.
Ding Mingfang, a professor of climatology at Columbia Climatology Institute, talked about the main characteristics of Santa Ana winds and their impact on the Los Angeles wildfires in an interview with NPR.
Daniel Westervelt, an atmospheric scientist at the Columbia Climatological Institute’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, tells CNET how to protect your health when air quality is poor and how to prepare year-round.
Jatan Buch, a postdoctoral scientist who studies wildfires at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, explained to The Hill how a warming climate is fueling major fires and what factors are exacerbating them.
Jonathan Sury, a public health researcher at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia Climate Institute, spoke to The New York Times about the lasting psychological scars that wildfires and natural disasters can leave behind. He said living in a damaged home is sometimes more challenging than a home that is a total loss.
In a video interview with CBS News, Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, director of the Columbia Climate Institute’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, discussed the evolution of the situation in California from the beginning to now.
Schlegelmilch spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the difficult road to recovery and the need to ensure equality, especially for the most vulnerable who lack access to resources or lawyers to help them through the process.
In an interview with Architectural Digest, Schlegelmilch offered practical advice on how people affected by wildfires can stay organized, deal with insurance companies, and avoid scams. He noted that there will be good days and bad days. “It’s going to take a long time, involve a lot of paperwork, be done in fits and starts, and be exhausting,” Schlegelmilch said.
Media coverage is ongoing and will be updated continuously.
