In this episode of Disaster Discussions host Rachael Penton Gauthier is joined by Dr. Murray Morrison, IBHS Managing Director of Research and Steve Hawks, Senior Director for Wildfire for Part 2 of a discussion about the LA County wildfires. This episode details how the Palisades Fire started and the unique factors that allowed this wildfire to morph into a devastating urban conflagration. Plus, an in depth discussion on IBHS's post-event investigation of the Palisades Fire. Finally, the episode analyzes lessons learned from field observations of both the Eaton and Palisades post-event investigations and how the results will help better prepare southern California homeowners for future wildfire events.

In this episode of Disaster Discussions host Rachael Penton Gauthier is joined by Dr. Murray Morrison, IBHS Managing Director of Research and Steve Hawks, Senior Director for Wildfire. Part 1 of this discussion details the extreme meteorological conditions that allowed several wildfires to spark in early January in LA county, and details the conditions that allowed the Eaton and Palisades fires to transition into urban conflagrations. This episode highlights the working partnership between IBHS and CAL FIRE to expand wildfire research in California. Plus, learn about the logistics and operations of IBHS's post-event investigation of the Eaton Fire.

In the first episode of 2025, we take a look back at some of the memorable moments from Disaster Discussion in 2024. This episode recaps season 3, and highlights favorite clips from some of our special guests that joined us on the podcast.

In this episode of Disaster Discussions we sit down with WCNC Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich and IBHS Lead Research Meteorologist Dr. Ian Giammanco to discuss the communication challenges of messaging for historic weather events such as Hurricane Helene. Topics discussed include: messaging seasonal tropical forecasts, communicating differences in storm intensity both before and during landfall, and messaging for systems with big inland impacts. We also discuss how best to communicate extreme weather events, such as the historic rainfall event that Helene brought to the mountains of North Carolina as well as perceptions around flood insurance for communities away from the coast.

In this episode of Disaster Discussions we highlight the partnership between IBHS, Triple-I, and the U.S. Small Business Administration with an encore presentation of the LinkedIn audio event: Weathering the Storms: Strategies for Small Business Resilience. Then, we talk with Chuck Miccolis, IBHS Managing Director of Commercial Lines, to hear more about common vulnerabilities of commercial buildings, as well as our research-backed mitigation methods for resiliency. In this episode we also help small business owners and commercial property owners better understand how they can better prepare for a range of hazards, including hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, wildfire, and severe winter weather. Plus, we highlight a few proactive mitigation strategies that business owners can use to help ensure business continuity.

In this episode host Rachael Penton Gauthier sits down with IBHS General Counsel Michael Newman and Public Policy Associate Manuela Ekowo, who together make up the IBHS public policy team. Learn how they're working to advance science-based public action to build resiliency for homeowners, businesses, and communities. Topics of discussion include building codes, wildfire policy, science-backed construction retrofits, disaster recovery, affordable housing, and meeting the need for investment so that resilient housing can become standard and accessible to all populations. Plus, hear the economic benefits of investing in resilient communities and highlights from some success stories.

In this episode of Disaster Discussions, host Rachael Penton Gauthier sits down with the IBHS wildfire research team to discuss insights from research projects past and present. The researchers examine some of the reasons behind the growing issue of conflagration in the Wildland Urban Interface. They also define the three the types of fire ignition mechanisms, and discuss the research that has informed mitigation methods homeowners can use to help protect their properties from embers and flames, including the importance of the non-combustible zone zero. They also highlight the wind-driven building-to-building fire spread project that is underway at the research center, and look ahead to how this project will inform wildfire mitigation strategies at the community level.

In this episode of Disaster Discussions we dive into the science behind the FORTIFIED standard, the series of construction and roofing upgrades that work together to create a system proven to strengthen homes against severe weather. Guest Fred Malik, Managing Director of the FORTIFIED program, gives us an in-depth explanation of the construction components that make up the standard, explains how homeowners can participate, outlines the benefits of using the science to protect a home, and current grant programs available for homeowners. We also dive into the research insights that support the FORTIFIED program based on decades of research by IBHS. Plus, we reflect on the history of FORTIFIED, and look ahead to forecast growth.