How policymakers can help the L.A. wildfire recovery

Story by USC Price School.

After devastating wildfires destroyed parts of Los Angeles County, thousands of people are now beginning the long road to recovery. What can policymakers do to help? To find out, we turned to Jennifer Gray Thompson, an alum of the USC Price School of Public Policy and one of the nation’s leading experts on wildfire disaster recovery.

Thompson, who earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in 2013, is founder and CEO of After The Fire USA, a nonprofit that supports wildfire survivors and advocates for them on Capitol Hill. Her comments were edited lightly for length and clarity.

How can local policymakers meet the needs of L.A. wildfire survivors?

First, I want to say that every policymaker at every level – local, state, regional, and federal – has a role to play. I cannot express enough that this is a time for really brave leadership.

It’s really important to be non-partisan about this. Figure out how you can listen to people. A big tool for this community that will absolutely work is the block captains, or people who can organize meetings in neighborhoods of 10 to 100 people, and you appoint one or two people to sit in a room every single week for the next year.