Wildfire disaster, recovery and resilience: What have we learned?
Why does wildfire recovery lag behind other disasters? UC Merced’s Crystal Kolden outlines the compounding barriers — and the urgent need for community-centered solutions.
Crystal Kolden, Associate Professor of Fire Science at UC Merced, breaks down the key barriers that cause wildfire recovery to take significantly longer than recovery from other disasters.
While many communities struggle to rebuild years after wildfire devastation occurs — like those impacted by the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California — families, neighborhoods and entire regions face displacement.
From structural barriers like regulatory roadblocks, infrastructure loss and worsening housing shortages, to socioeconomic barriers like inequity, underinsurance and post-fire gentrification, Kolden explains why post-fire recovery is so difficult — and what strategies can help build more fire-resilient communities.
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