How to Disaster
Claim This Podcastby Jennifer Gray Thompson
Podcast Overview
<p><strong>How to Disaster</strong> is a podcast for people navigating the aftermath of disaster — and for the leaders, helpers, and decision-makers working to support them.</p><p>Hosted by Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO of After the Fire USA, the show makes disaster recovery clearer, more human, and less overwhelming. Each episode helps listeners understand what happens after the headlines fade: how recovery systems work, why decisions matter, what communities need, and how people find their way forward.</p><p>Through thoughtful conversations with survivors, practitioners, policymakers, storytellers, and community leaders, How to Disaster translates complex issues into grounded, accessible insight. Alongside Jennifer’s conversations, wildfire survivor, Kim Marshall, brings listeners closer to the lived reality of recovery through on-the-ground conversations with people impacted by disaster.</p><p>The show does not sensationalize crisis or debate climate politics. Instead, it offers clarity, context, and connection for people living through disaster and those trying to help.</p><p>If you are recovering, supporting someone who is, or trying to better understand how disaster reshapes lives and communities, this podcast is here to help you feel less alone and understand what comes next.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/1/2021
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Recent Episodes
July 4, 2026
11. Rebuilding Altadena After the Eaton Fire
<p>In this episode of How to Disaster, Jennifer speaks with Alex Athenson of the Foothill Catalog Foundation and Chris Corbett of Altadena Collective about rebuilding after the Eaton Fire. </p><p>Both guests bring an architectural lens to recovery, but their work begins with survivors, community identity, and the emotional weight of coming home. Together, they explore how thoughtful design, pre-approved plans, community listening, and practical support can make rebuilding more affordable, more humane, and less overwhelming. </p><p>This conversation offers a grounded look at what it takes to rebuild not just houses, but trust, belonging, and hope.</p><p><br></p><p>Resources:</p><ul><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/how-to-disaster/" rel="nofollow">How to Disaster</a></li><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/" rel="nofollow">Learn more about After the Fire USA</a></li><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/resource-library/" rel="nofollow">After the Fire USA Resource Library</a></li><li><a href="https://www.foothillcatalog.org/" rel="nofollow">Foothill Catalog Foundation</a></li><li><a href="https://www.altadenacollective.org/" rel="nofollow">Altadena Collective</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-gray-thompson-mpa-65305328/" rel="nofollow">Connect with Jennifer Gray Thompson on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Produced by<a href="http://novapodcasting.com" rel="nofollow"> NOVA</a></p>
June 26, 2026
10. Two Communities. One Truth. | Ash Level & Nicole Huguenin
<p><span>Ash Level is AN ATLADENA NATIVE AND the founder of Altadena Rising, an organisation born from the Eaton Fire that is focused on empowering survivors and filling the gaps that outside institutions consistently miss. Nicole Huguenin is part of Maui Rapid Response, a hub within a wider network of organisations that has been doing care at scale since the Lahaina fire and through four major storms since.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>Both of them stepped into leadership not because they wanted to, but because their communities needed someone who actually knew them to stand up. Both are still going, long after the cameras moved on.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>In this episode, Ash and Nicole join Jennifer Gray Thompson to talk about what emergent community-led recovery actually looks like from the inside: the historical distrust that shapes how their communities receive outside help, why institutional systems consistently fail the most vulnerable, how they navigate funders who want KPIs for work that cannot always be quantified, and what it costs personally to show up every day for people in the worst moments of their lives.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>They also talk about Kuleana, the Hawaiian concept of collective responsibility to care for the land, family, and community, what it means to triage by trauma, why being a reliable narrator is the foundation of staying power, and what it looked like for Nicole to visit Altadena and finally begin processing grief she had been carrying since Lahaina.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>This is a conversation about care, community, and what real recovery requires of the people who refuse to walk away.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>Resources:</span></p><ul><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/how-to-disaster/" rel="nofollow">How to Disaster</a></li><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/" rel="nofollow">Learn more about After the Fire USA</a></li><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/resource-library/" rel="nofollow">After the Fire USA Resource Library</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/altadenarising/" rel="nofollow">Altadena Rising on Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://www.mauirapidresponse.org/" rel="nofollow">Maui Rapid Response</a></li><li><a href="https://www.culturalfire.org/" rel="nofollow">Cultural Fire Management Council</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-gray-thompson-mpa-65305328/" rel="nofollow">Connect with Jennifer Gray Thompson on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><span>Produced by</span><a href="http://novapodcasting.com" rel="nofollow"> </a><a href="http://novapodcasting.com" rel="nofollow">NOVA</a></p>
June 19, 2026
9. Fire-Resistant Wood, Forest Recovery, and What Comes Next with Tyler Freres
<p>In this episode, Jennifer Gray Thompson speaks with Tyler Freres about what it can mean to rebuild with wood after a megafire. Tyler shares the story of his family’s long-standing timber business in Oregon’s Santiam Canyon, how the Beachie Creek Fire affected both the community and their forestland, and why the recovery of burned timber matters for local economies, land restoration, and future resilience.</p><p><br></p><p>The conversation also looks at mass timber and mass plywood panels, including how engineered wood can perform in fire, earthquakes, high wind events, and other hazards when it is designed thoughtfully. Tyler explains why many assumptions about wood, steel, concrete, and fire resistance are more complicated than they first appear, and how prefabricated wood systems can help buildings go up more efficiently.</p><p><br></p><p>Throughout the episode, Jennifer and Tyler return to a larger question: how do we care for forests, communities, and rebuilding in ways that are practical, ecologically responsible, and hopeful? Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of forest management, fire-safe construction, and the possibility that beauty and resilience do not have to be treated as opposites.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Resources:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/how-to-disaster/" rel="nofollow">How to Disaster</a></li><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/" rel="nofollow">Learn more about After the Fire USA</a></li><li><a href="https://afterthefireusa.org/resource-library/" rel="nofollow">After the Fire USA Resource Library</a></li><li><a href="https://frereswood.com/" rel="nofollow">Freres Engineered Wood</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-gray-thompson-mpa-65305328/" rel="nofollow">Connect with Jennifer Gray Thompson on LinkedIn</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Produced by <a href="https://novapodcasting.com" rel="nofollow">NOVA</a></p>
180 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is How to Disaster?
<p><strong>How to Disaster</strong> is a podcast for people navigating the aftermath of disaster — and for the leaders, helpers, and decision-makers working to support them.</p><p>Hosted by Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO of After the Fire USA, the show makes disaster recovery clearer, more human, and less overwhelming. Each episode helps listeners understand what happens after the headlines fade: how recovery systems work, why decisions matter, what communities need, and how people find their way forward.</p><p>Through thoughtful conversations with survivors, practitioners, policymakers, storytellers, and community leaders, How to Disaster translates complex issues into grounded, accessible insight. Alongside Jennifer’s conversations, wildfire survivor, Kim Marshall, brings listeners closer to the lived reality of recovery through on-the-ground conversations with people impacted by disaster.</p><p>The show does not sensationalize crisis or debate climate politics. Instead, it offers clarity, context, and connection for people living through disaster and those trying to help.</p><p>If you are recovering, supporting someone who is, or trying to better understand how disaster reshapes lives and communities, this podcast is here to help you feel less alone and understand what comes next.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 10 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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