Featured News from the Press
Meet the Press
Five months since the deadly wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, providing housing for displaced residents continues to be the biggest challenge facing the community’s rebuilding efforts. After the Fire CEO Jennifer Gray Thompson...
All Things Considered
NPR's Pien Huang speaks to Jennifer Gray Thompson, founder and CEO of After the Fire USA, about what to expect from long-term recovery after a wildfire.
AP news article
Kim Cuevas-Reyes, a 38-year-old cellphone store owner, snuck into Lahaina last Friday to see the remnants of her home with her own eyes. She took backroads and walked. What she saw stunned her.
NBC News Now: Nov 24, 2023. Dasha Burns
Earlier this month, Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced a new recovery fund that would set aside over $150 million dollars for the victims of the Maui fires.
Washington Post gentrification by wildfire
Climate change and its most extreme consequences are pushing up the price of homes throughout much of the American West, as...
2 years post Dixie Fire
Climate change and its most extreme consequences are pushing up the price of homes throughout much of the American West, as...
Sonoma Group Forged in Tubbs Fire Helping Other Wildfire Victims Cope
Amid the crumpled, twisted remains of the Plumas County town of Greenville, few people stirred, other than the constant ...
Mike Thompson article
Rep. Mike Thompson from California’s 4th District announced Friday morning that Jennifer Gray Thompson, founder and CEO of After the Fire...
Local Perspectives on Federal Wildfire Assistance
In August, Hawai’i experienced one of the deadliest wildfires in American history, with at least 100 deaths and thousands of buildings destroyed or damaged. Unfortunately, this disaster is part of larger trend of wildfire destruction that extends to much of the mainland U.S. Over the past 30 years, wildfires have resulted in more than $100 billion in…
Sonoma Group Forged in Tubbs Fire Helping Other Wildfire Victims Cope
Amid the crumpled, twisted remains of the Plumas County town of Greenville, few people stirred, other than the constant caravans of disaster response teams driving through what had until recently been a picturesque Gold Rush town. Against the sprawling devastation, Jennifer Gray Thompson stood out, calmly snapping photos of a scene that seemed startling, yet…
The Fire Within: Jennifer Gray Thompson Has a Passion for Community Recovery
You might say that Jennifer Gray Thompson, a Sonoma resident helping communities rebuild after life-changing wildfires and megafires, was destined for this line of work. But with her mission rooted in community disaster, she continues to suffer an inherent degree of unease. “I still get afraid, and I’ve learned to live with a certain degree…
Dealing with Future Wildfires: New North Bay Organizations Helping to Prepare
Rincon Valley firefighters rest in the archway and against the fireplace of a home on Wikiup Drive in Santa Rosa after the Tubbs firestorm swept through Oct. 8 and 9. These firefighters were first on the scene and had been on the job for four days when these photos were taken Oct. 12. ON OCTOBER…
CA wildfire survivors lobby on Capitol Hill for tax-free PG&E settlement payments
Stream local breaking news and original programming, live 24/7, from ABC7 Bay Area. SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A group of California wildfire survivors and delegates lobbied at Capitol Hill this week to pass a bill that would make PG&E Fire Victim settlement payments federally tax-free. Right now, those payments are considered income by the federal government.…
Sonoma Valley Leaders launching effort to ensure all residents are Food Secure during COVID-19 pandemic
Leaders in Sonoma Valley have joined together to launch a broad-based coalition to ensure all Sonoma Valley residents are food secure during the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place order. The goal of the new Sonoma Valley Food Security Task Force is to bring together Valley leaders to work collaboratively to mitigate the challenges faced by our…
How California can better adapt to extreme weather
Takeaways: Climate change is expected to make atmospheric rivers like the ones that struck California even more destructive. A major atmospheric river event in the state could cost at least $200 billion, according to a model by USC Price School Professor Adam Rose. Potential solutions include banning construction in certain areas, buying out at-risk homes,…
How California Wine Country Is Fighting Back Against Wildfires
Sonoma and Napa are bracing themselves for a difficult fire season with an arsenal of techniques, from innovative building practices to new city ordinances. On the afternoon of Saturday, June 8, 2019, residents of Sonoma and Napa saw the first ominous sign of the wildfire season: Plumes from the Sand Fire in the county directly to…
Consumer advocates say other insurance companies can help after State Farm won’t take on new policies for property owners
Consumer advocates say other insurance companies can help SACRAMENTO, Calif. — New neighborhoods going up in the Foothills could be in the path of grassfires, and homeowners are required to have insurance. But some are asking now what? State Farm announced it would no longer be accepting new applications for home and business owners. “I…
Pride, resiliency, and bagpipes — Jennifer Thompson on the post-fire rebuild
Two years ago, in the tumultuous aftermath of the devastating wildfires, the Rebuild NorthBay Foundation was formed, with Jennifer Gray Thompson as executive director. The Sonoma native had previously been an assistant to Supervisor Susan Gorin. Suddenly, with the backing of developer/lobbyist Darius Anderson and other influential figures, she was tasked with getting to work on short-term…