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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Later with Mo Kelly on demand from

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<v Speaker 1>KFI AM six forty with Kelly OKAM sixty.

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<v Speaker 2>This fire is Different.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm Weathered host Miami and we're on the ground talking

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<v Speaker 3>to survivors, first responders, and experts. We're living through one

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<v Speaker 3>of the worst fires in American history to see what

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<v Speaker 3>happened and how the people of LA are fighting back

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<v Speaker 3>and adapting to a hotter, drier, and more dangerous reality.

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<v Speaker 3>Weather Inside the LA Firestorm.

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<v Speaker 4>KFI AM six forty, It's Later with Mo Kelly. We're

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<v Speaker 4>live everywhere in the iHeartRadio app premiering tonight at ten

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<v Speaker 4>pm on PBS. Weathered Inside the LA Firestorm examines the

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<v Speaker 4>root cause of the LA wildfires and uncovers what communities

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<v Speaker 4>can do to better prepare for future disasters. Hosted by

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<v Speaker 4>storyteller and whether Expert Miami, the special interviews of survivors, scientists,

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<v Speaker 4>first responders, and public officials will hopefully help us understand

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<v Speaker 4>the history and science behind the urban firestorms here in

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<v Speaker 4>the US. Miama joins me now on the show. Maya,

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<v Speaker 4>thank you for coming on tonight. How are you. I'm good,

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<v Speaker 4>HWI Dan, I'm doing well, but I have a particular

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<v Speaker 4>interest in this story that you're going to tell, because

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<v Speaker 4>I know that my reference point is skewed. I live

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<v Speaker 4>in LA. I was covering these fires as it happened,

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<v Speaker 4>but I also probably was too close to it to

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<v Speaker 4>have adequate perspective. How did you approach this or view

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<v Speaker 4>this as you began researching the fires, I.

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<v Speaker 5>Was like many people, most people not in La, watching.

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<v Speaker 3>From Afar and being horrified at what I was seeing.

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<v Speaker 3>But luckily, and a lot of people don't realize this,

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<v Speaker 3>the director of our show, he is a fire expert,

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<v Speaker 3>and this special wasn't like we didn't have our We

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<v Speaker 3>don't do these types of specials normally, but PBS knew

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<v Speaker 3>that we our whole our show is directed by this

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<v Speaker 3>you know, amazing journalist who's done a lot of work

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<v Speaker 3>on wildfires. He's created a fire feature film as well,

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<v Speaker 3>and they trusted us to tell this story and he.

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<v Speaker 5>Led a lot of of what you know, we talk.

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<v Speaker 2>About in the show.

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<v Speaker 3>Obviously he's the director, but yeah, he led the charge here.

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<v Speaker 3>But for me, just you know, as as the communicator

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<v Speaker 3>and the messenger for this story, it was very interesting.

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<v Speaker 3>There's a lot of mixed emotions. I learned a lot.

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<v Speaker 3>The main thing being that these types of disasters don't

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<v Speaker 3>have to happen, and and there are things, very small things,

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<v Speaker 3>fairly inexpensive, things that we can do to harden our homes.

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<v Speaker 3>That's really the main thing that we can do to

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<v Speaker 3>stop large scale urban fires from happening on a large scale.

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<v Speaker 3>Very easy things that we can do. And I'm excited

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<v Speaker 3>for people.

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<v Speaker 5>To see the film and get this very useful information.

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<v Speaker 4>Correct, but if I'm wrong, but they're probably two facets

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<v Speaker 4>to this. Yes, there's things that we can do individually,

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<v Speaker 4>as you mentioned, like to harden our homes. But we've

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<v Speaker 4>also seen all sorts of extreme weather events in recent years.

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<v Speaker 4>In fact, the Midwest and South are dealing with it

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<v Speaker 4>right now. What are we seeing in a weather or

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<v Speaker 4>climate since that we've not seen in previous decades before.

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<v Speaker 3>In terms of this story and this particular event weather

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<v Speaker 3>event being the wildfires, is temperature and that plays.

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<v Speaker 2>A role in quite a few of the.

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<v Speaker 3>Crazy natural disasters that we've experienced in recent years.

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<v Speaker 5>In recent months and weeks.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't know about the line of storms that came

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<v Speaker 3>through this weekend that always happens, you know, severe weather.

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<v Speaker 3>There's a lot more research that needs to be done

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<v Speaker 3>to kind of attribute rise in tornadoes, for example, to

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<v Speaker 3>climate change.

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<v Speaker 2>But we know that.

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<v Speaker 3>Increased temperatures as it relates to the fire that happened.

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<v Speaker 5>In La play the role.

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<v Speaker 2>When you have a warmer atmosphere, it sucks.

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<v Speaker 5>More moisture out of the vegetation.

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<v Speaker 3>And California before twenty twenty four experienced two really wet years.

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<v Speaker 2>You had these really wet years.

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<v Speaker 3>You had all this vegetation that resulted from those wet

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<v Speaker 3>years being dried out.

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<v Speaker 2>As we entered into.

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<v Speaker 3>The summer of twenty twenty four, I don't think you

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<v Speaker 3>guys can't get any rain for eight months.

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<v Speaker 5>So on top of the there was no rain, you have.

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<v Speaker 3>Increased temperatures, and we know temperatures are increasing on average.

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<v Speaker 3>That also contributed to the drying out of these fuels and.

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<v Speaker 2>That is what fed the fire.

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<v Speaker 3>And again once it once it reached urban communities, it

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<v Speaker 3>was just it was like a runaway freight train.

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<v Speaker 5>There was really nothing that could have been done.

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<v Speaker 3>Lot of the weather aspect that played a role here,

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<v Speaker 3>and that play continues to play a role on large scale.

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<v Speaker 4>Let's talk more about that, and let's talk about these

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<v Speaker 4>La fires. Investigations are ongoing, and blame is going to

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<v Speaker 4>be pars that. I'm not going to put that on

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<v Speaker 4>your shoulder. But in your conversations in whethered inside the

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<v Speaker 4>LA firestorm, what were some of your other observations, your analyzes,

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<v Speaker 4>what if any other conclusions have you arrived at?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah?

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<v Speaker 3>So, I mean everyone was talking about the lack of resources, right.

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<v Speaker 3>There were a lot of people that were very angry,

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<v Speaker 3>and that happens. I think that's human nature. After a

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<v Speaker 3>prett ezy disaster like this, you know, people naturally are

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<v Speaker 3>going to want to point the finger.

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<v Speaker 5>How what happened here?

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<v Speaker 2>Someone had to have dropped the ball.

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<v Speaker 3>And I made a point to ask every single fire

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<v Speaker 3>official that I spoke to, every climate scientist, would there

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<v Speaker 3>have been enough resources to stop this fire once.

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<v Speaker 2>It reached urban communities? And the answer is no.

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<v Speaker 3>There wouldn't have been enough firefighters, there wouldn't have been

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<v Speaker 3>enough water, there wouldn't have been enough force management that

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<v Speaker 3>could have helped once it reached that first home in

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<v Speaker 3>those conditions, because our communities weren't building in a way

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<v Speaker 3>to be resilient to these climate related disasters that we're seeing.

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<v Speaker 4>That's a question of infrastructure and planning, and maybe we

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<v Speaker 4>would not have been able to change the end result.

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<v Speaker 4>But is there a conversation to be had about what

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<v Speaker 4>we could have done better or should have done better

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<v Speaker 4>before it got to those urban communities, Because I think

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<v Speaker 4>we all can agree once it got to the urban communities,

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<v Speaker 4>it was all over at that point and nothing could

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<v Speaker 4>be done. But from what you've seen, you've experienced, your conversations,

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<v Speaker 4>was there something that could have been done in this

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<v Speaker 4>particular occasion without calling out any particular names, that might

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<v Speaker 4>have alleviated some of the subsequent disaster.

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<v Speaker 5>I don't.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't believe in this situation. I mean, like I said,

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<v Speaker 3>the conditions were.

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<v Speaker 5>Just so so primed.

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<v Speaker 3>Imagine doing forest management for thousands and thousands and thousands

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<v Speaker 3>of acres.

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<v Speaker 5>In this eight month period leading up to the disaster.

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<v Speaker 2>I know, I know, like I.

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<v Speaker 3>Know, you know, we want to point to, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>some person, some human. Mother Nature is fierce, and we're

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<v Speaker 3>seeing that. I think we're seeing just how relentless Mother

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<v Speaker 3>nature is in the face of our changing climate. Like

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<v Speaker 3>I said, there's just so much built up vegetation from

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<v Speaker 3>those two years, those those extremely wet years, that that

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<v Speaker 3>California experienced and then once we got to that drought,

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<v Speaker 3>I mean there's just not much that could have been

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<v Speaker 3>done once we had that red flag warning.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean people were predicting it. All you needed at

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<v Speaker 2>that point.

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<v Speaker 5>Was was a arc and you know people, people knew

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<v Speaker 5>this was going to happen.

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<v Speaker 3>So yes, yes, like we definitely need to be thinking

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<v Speaker 3>about more resources in that sense. Yes, we need more firefighters,

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<v Speaker 3>more water, you know, better better management of land in

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<v Speaker 3>that sense.

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<v Speaker 2>But I think the biggest conversation that.

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<v Speaker 3>Needs to come out of the special is adaptation and

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<v Speaker 3>how we are building and where we're where we're building.

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<v Speaker 3>Mother Nature is going to mother nature either way. But

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<v Speaker 3>how can we continue to build in a way that

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<v Speaker 3>humanity can thrive on this planet?

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<v Speaker 5>I think that needs to be the conversation.

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<v Speaker 4>By later tonight, right after our show at ten pm

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<v Speaker 4>on PBS, Weathered Inside the LA Firestorm, hosted by journalists,

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<v Speaker 4>weather expert, storyteller, Science Communicator. You got a lot of titles,

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<v Speaker 4>got a lot of titles, but you've earned them all

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<v Speaker 4>Science Communicator.

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<v Speaker 2>We'll go with Science Communicator and that's that's going.

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<v Speaker 4>Thank you for coming on tonight.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

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<v Speaker 4>It's Later with mo Kelly caf I AM six forty

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<v Speaker 4>Live everywhere in the iHeartRadio app.

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Later with mo Kelly on demand from

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<v Speaker 1>KFI AM six forty