January 11, 2025 • 28 mins
Dean talks about the wildfires burning throughout Southern California and how to contribute to a broader conversation. Dean continues to discuss the deadly wildfires from his unique perspective and what to do after a natural disaster. He also provides the latest on all fires blazing throughout Southern California. Lastly, Dean talks about FEMA and to report for assistance with their helpful loans after a natural disaster and what to expect.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio app KFI
AM six forty live streaming in HD everywhere on the
iHeartRadio App. Hey, welcome to home. I am Dean Sharp,
(00:22):
the House Whisper. I design custom homes, I build custom homes,
and for this weekend, as always, I am your guide
to better understanding that place where you live Today on
the program, Well, for those of us who live in
southern California, that place where we live is under the
ongoing threat and devastation of what has been now the
(00:47):
most costliest wildfires in United States history. We're going to
continue to cover those fires for you, of course through
the twenty four hour KFI Newsroom, but we'll also be
talking about them today on the show, specifically from my
perspective and what I can bring to the table for you.
(01:08):
We're going to be talking some about, especially this weekend
moving forward, what happens next when the fires are done
and they will end, but they are still burning. When
such devastation has been created by such a natural disaster,
(01:29):
where do you pick up and what comes next, especially
when it comes to your home or the total loss
of your home. For those of you who are listening,
and I know lots of people from all around the
country are listening, I hope that you hang with us
because there's a lot of application here. Specifically, of course
(01:52):
we're going to be talking about wildfires and its effect
on a home, but in the bigger scope of things,
much of what we'll discuss this weekend has to do
with any natural disaster and a response from residential perspective
after it has gone its way, whether it is a
hurricane or flood, a tornado, whatever the case may be.
(02:19):
Natural disasters have a way of resetting the clock in
a lot of things, and we're gonna be dealing with
that this morning. How soon can anybody get back to
these properties? What comes next? What are the next steps
after your home has been devastated, and how soon is
(02:43):
that rebuilding process? Is there a rebuilding process, and what
to expect through it out all of that and a
whole lot more, and of course you will find a
empathetic and an informative voice here, I hope, and we
will be taking calls as well, and of course again
(03:03):
I'm going to be talking about this as always with calls,
anything you want to talk about regarding your home today.
The number to reach me eight three to three two.
Ask Dean A three three the numeral two, Ask dean
eight three three two ask dean. Of course, I am
going to prioritize calls related to fire today, but we
(03:25):
will take calls on any subject whatsoever as we go
as we do. And that brings up an important point.
As devastating as these fires are, and they are, I
am in no way, shape or form going to make
light of them. One of the things I want you
to understand if you don't live in Southern California is
(03:47):
as you see national news coverage, it always tends to
happen this way. You know, it looks as though Los
Angeles is on fire. Southern California is on fire. It's
burning to the ground, and a large portion of our
home here is doing just that, and there is great devastation,
(04:07):
as we will review in the updated stats here in
just a bit. However, if you don't understand LA or
the La Orange County San Bernardino area, the greater Los
Angeles metroplex, or what I just tend to refer to
as southern California, if you don't understand if you haven't
visited and you haven't really understood the scope of what
(04:31):
life is like here, if you're from a traditional town
or traditional city, then one of the things that is
easy to misunderstand when you're looking at national news coverage
of what's going on here is these fires are massive
and yet at the same time, most, the vast majority
(04:52):
of Los Angeles and Orange County and San Bernardino County
residents are unaffected directly by these fire Southern California, if
you want to call it this southern the Southern California,
the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, if we just take
the LA name and apply it to the continuous urban
(05:17):
sprawl essentially that is here in southern California, it is
roughly one hundred miles from north to south and one
hundred miles from east to west. Okay, that is a massive,
massive metropolitan area. These fires have affected tens of thousands
(05:38):
of acres. But just understand for those of us here
that there are most areas in Southern California are completely safe.
But we have all all of us emotionally and all
of us indirectly been affected by these fires. And so
we are going to continue to focus on them as
(05:59):
we go. Let me enter you shoot to our awesome team.
Sam of course is on the board. How are you doing, Sam,
I'm okay, brother, It's good to hear your voice. It's
good to be here as well. UH produced. There's our
almost live studio audience. UH producer Richie is standing by
already screening calls. The call of the phone lines are
(06:20):
open again. Eight three three two. Ask dean eight three
to three the numeral two ass Dean Eileen Gonzalez of
course on the due's desk. Good morning, Eileen, good morning.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Good to hear your voice and your sunshiny attitude is
much needed today.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Well, we're going to do our best. We're going to
do our best. We're not going to look through this
situation with any rose colored glasses, but we're going to
bring everybody as much comfort and information as we can
along the way. How are you any issues with where
you're at in regards to the fires.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I'm lucky, I'm I'm near Uh, I'm near Marina del Rey,
so I'm in a safe zone. But the smoke has
been pretty bad and I'm definitely feeling that.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Oh, no doubt, no doubt. So Marina del Rey, down
south of Santa Monica and just a few miles from
the fire, but a few miles, it's a lot of that.
That's a big distance and south. But the winds have
been blowing essentially south since this thing started, so you've
basically received all the smoke. See I live, I probably
(07:23):
my home is probably as close, if not closer in
proximity as the crow flies to the fire. But this
fire started with those heavy, heavy, crazy southern wind, southern
south pound wind and h and so there has been
(07:44):
no smoke in the Canao Valley, no blue skies, no,
not even a trace of it, because it's all been
blowing your way.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
You guys may hear it in my voice today, just yeah, exactly, yeah,
I know a lot of people that lost their homes.
And yeah it's very very yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Same here, same here, all right. Sitting across the table
from me, my better half, my design partner, my best
friend in all the world, who is celebrating something today.
I don't even know what, but she's got something going on.
Oh it's the National Elephant Day.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Today is your birthday? What it is? Happy birthday to
you know?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
All right? Well, yeah, it's not the greatest weekend to
have a birthday, and so cal I gotta tell you,
but you know what, I'm grateful. I'm grateful that we're here.
All right, y'all. Here's the thing. Let's have some news
for my leen, and when we come back, let's get
an update on all of the fires and then begin
(08:47):
a conversation a little different than the ones that you've
been hearing through the rest of the week, because you know,
it's me, and we're going to be talking about homes
and structures and also rebuilding and what does that mean
all of that and more. Yafi Dean Sharp the House Whisper,
Welcome home. Thanks for joining us this early early Saturday morning,
(09:13):
a few minutes before six thirty. We rent long in
our opening segment because I wanted to sort of lay
out where we're going this weekend on our program. Here
this morning and tomorrow, we're going to be talking about
wildfires from a house Whisper perspective, hopefully adding to the
(09:36):
conversation not just repeating updates and which, of course we're
going to do, but also contributing to a broader conversation
about where do we go from here as these fires
will eventually of course, be snuffed out, and then the
(09:56):
swath of Devas station that they have left in their path.
What do we do, especially when entire It's one thing
to say, oh, I had fire damage on my house.
It's something entirely different to say that an entire neighborhood
or a region of homes has been destroyed. What happens then?
(10:18):
Is there a rebuild? Who rebuilds? When will we rebuild?
And so on? So we're going to have that unique
perspective and take on that as we move along this morning.
But I do want to say this. I went long
in the first segment just to get to all of
that information in and to have an extended conversation with
the team and the crew here. And we're up against
(10:42):
another short break, another short break right now, and when
we return, we'll get back on our regular cycle here
and dive into this conversation. Does that sound good?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Good?
Speaker 1 (10:54):
We will start with an update of everything that we
know about all of the fires here in southern California.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Forty five AM six forty live streaming in HD everywhere
on the iHeartRadio app. Dean Sharp the house whisper with
you on this smoky southern California Saturday morning here in
the wee hours of January eleventh, twenty twenty five. We
(11:29):
are still battling several wildfires on several fronts, and we're
going to be discussing them with you here on the
program today. I'm going to give you my ongoing input
and perspective answering now the question not so much how
do we defend against this? Because they're here. They're here now.
(11:50):
I will, of course, over the course of today and
tomorrow be reviewing with you the things that you can
do to harden your home against these kinds of events.
But I also want to take this weekend and specifically
focus on where do you go after a disaster like this?
How do you move forward in regards to your home,
(12:11):
everything from what to expect on the insurance level to
the city level, municipalities, neighborhood responses, infrastructure, and so on.
So we're going to do as much as we can.
Phone lines are also open, by the way, and if
we have the opportunity, and I'm hoping to take calls
(12:31):
and as always, anything you need and want to talk
about your home today. I am going to prioritize fire calls,
but honestly, wouldn't it be just a great relief to
spend a few minutes talking to somebody about a problem
with their home that is unrelated to it burning to
the ground. So whatever our opportunities are, will take those
(12:54):
calls as they come. The number to reach me eight
three three, to ask dean eight three three, the numeral
two acidine foe lines are open now. Producer Richie standing by.
He'll tell you everything you need to know. Pop you
into the queue and hopefully we can put our heads
together and figure out what's going on with your home.
And of course, ongoing coverage from the KFI twenty four
(13:17):
hour newsroom. We've got Eileen Gonzalez with us this morning
at the tip of that spear, and she will keep
us informed about any immediate up dates and breaking news
in regards to the fire. Let's do a quick update
of what we know so far. There are multiple fires burning.
Here is the latest. I believe these are the latest numbers,
(13:40):
If not directly on the nose, they're very very close
The Palisades Fire, of course, the largest of all of
the fires that we've been dealing with here. Currently eight
percent contained, the blaze has burned through more than twenty
one thousand acres in and around Pacific Palisades. The current
(14:06):
count of structures either affected or destroyed I believe is
over fifty three hundred structures since Tuesday, and currently the
fire is now spreading toward Brentwood, so it is making
an eastward journey now along the hills up above Sunset
(14:29):
Boulevard and moving eastward as opposed to pushing as far south,
which has been its primary direction up until these wind
events calm down, And of course we have more wind
events coming anticipated in this next week, so it's very
(14:49):
very important during this lull right now in the wind
that these fires get as contained as they possibly can
be before the wind starts kicking up again. But the
Palisades eight percent contained currently and moving eastward toward the
Brentwood area. The Eton Fire three percent contained, affecting of
(15:14):
course Pasadena, Altadena Sierra Madre fourteen thousand, a little over
fourteen thousand acres currently. Some are saying as many as
seven thousand structures have been damaged or destroyed by that
fire as well. Looking down into these heavily lived in
(15:36):
neighborhood areas. The Kenneth fire fifty percent contained. That is
the one that just started up on Friday, or was
it Thursday Thursday? Thursday Thursday, Calabasas Hidden Hills area fifty
percent contained and from what has been reported to me,
(15:58):
on certain fronts, on certain critical fronts, no forward movement
for movement has been blocked on its most critical front,
so that's good news. In regards to the Kenneth fire.
The Lydia fire was Antelope Valley area ninety eight percent contained.
(16:18):
It burned through three hundred and ninety five acres. The
Hurst fire in the north area of the San Fernando
Valley seven hundred and seventy one acres seventy percent contained.
Good news there as well. And the Archer fire, which
is new, that's a blaze that broke out Friday morning,
yesterday morning in the Granada Hills area. We're looking at
(16:41):
twenty plus acres so far, zero percent containment on that
new bust out fire in the Granada Hills area. And
the Sunset fire which flared up as far as we
can tell, I mean, my assumption was the Sunset fire
was not being set by somebody else or a down
power line. My assumption was the Sunset Fire was a
(17:03):
spot fire that happened as a result of embers traveling
from Palisades. I don't have that confirmed. That was my assumption,
but the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills one hundred
percent contained as of Thursday evening, according to CalFire. All
in all, more than twelve thousand structures damaged or destroyed. Currently,
(17:25):
eleven deaths have been counted. It's anticipated that more will
will come or at least be realized, as these fires
are contained and the areas are surveyed. And as of now,
these Los Angeles area wildfires specifically amount to the costliest
(17:48):
wildfire disaster not in Los Angeles history, but in US history,
in US history. So let me begin with this. I
think this is where all of this should begin. Appreciation
on my part from all of the brave, dedicated men
and women who have been tirelessly fighting these fires and
(18:10):
who do all the time. I know we have in
the last couple of decades. Ever, since nine to eleven,
we have all kind of culturally been accustomed to seeing
a member of the US Armed Services and thanking them
for their service, which I think is a great thing
(18:31):
a great thing as well as police, but absolutely if
you live in southern California, it is time to let
those words trip out over your tongue every time you
see somebody who works for one of our first responding
firefighting agencies, to thank them for their service. Appreciation also
(18:54):
for all of the cooperation and out of area fire
services who've rushed in to assist. Tina and I were
actually coming down. We had spent a little time on
Thursday morning up in the Santa Barbar area, and when
we came back down, we thought we would go and
(19:15):
simply do a little bit surveying on behalf of the
station for what we could see on pch We get
all the way down to Pepperdine and it wasn't looking
good there at the time. But at the Zuoma Beach
Command Center, which the entire parking lot at Zuma has
(19:37):
been you know, taken over by firefighting agencies as a
command center, as a little relief station and so on,
it was really heartening to see the just the mass
hundreds of firefighting vehicles and equipment there, but really heartening
to see that the where they came from. It you're
(20:00):
reading the doors and the sides of these fire engines
and tankers and the trailers with bulldozers and Caterpillar firefighting
equipment on it. Equipment from cities and counties from all
over California, as you could imagine, but up and down California,
from every corner of this state. There every city, every
(20:25):
county represented, and then as well as out of state
firefighting agency. We saw equipment from Arizona, from Oregon, from
Washington State, from Idaho. I'm sure there are some that
I'm not mentioning, but that's what comes to mind, and
(20:45):
it was just it was heartening. And if there's a
way to touch a positive note here, a silver lining
as it were, to a natural disaster, I think it's
that the idea that the way that people can pull
together and help each other for a time, for a time,
(21:11):
if there's a silver lining to a disaster, the immediacy
of the threat and the need can bring out and
does often bring out the very best in people. Now,
of course, for those who have comfortable, safe vantage points,
these events are already being criticized and politicized. That's not
going to happen here with me this morning, today or tomorrow,
(21:35):
this episode, this or the next on the podcast. Not
interested in that, don't go there, not gonna That's not
my game. I'm here to talk to you about what
happens next and how we can help get you through it.
But but, and so, of course, of course, the further
(21:57):
you are away from these fires, the more you hear
all sorts of criticism, the politicizing of the events, and
that's just going to continue, you know that's the case.
But for the countless people who are in it, for
the tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated,
for the thousands and thousands of people who've lost their homes,
(22:20):
for all of the firefighters on the front lines, for
the volunteers who show up with food and water and blankets,
for the neighbors who show up offering shelter and opened
arms and kind words, and for the friends and family
from all over, just a big shout out of appreciation.
(22:42):
And again, if there's a place that you can turn
your heart and mind to when it's frustrated and confused
and stressed from all of the fear and anxiety of
the disaster itself, it is it's heartening, heartening to see
human beings act like the best of human beings in
(23:05):
times like this. All right, what happens next? Let's talk
a little bit about FEMA. Let's talk a little bit
about the steps that will happen as we move forward,
and this fire will we'll tackle that. Okay, if I
Dean sharp the house whisper, welcome home. We are discussing
on going coverage of the southern California Los Angeles area
(23:28):
fires from our unique perspective here in regards to homes,
and from our expertise as designers and builders of homes.
I'm going to continue that conversation today and tomorrow. Also
we may be going to the phones. I hope we
will be going to the phones. There's certain info I
know I want to get out for you, especially this morning.
(23:50):
And then we will and as always, we can talk
about fire, we can talk about the current situation. We
can talk about anything regarding your home. A three three two,
ask Dean is the number to reach me? The phones
are open. Producer Richie is there. He'll take your call,
tell you what you need to know, pop you into
the queue. All right, As we continue to discuss where
(24:14):
we're at here, So I want to turn the corner
and ask this question, how does an entire neighborhood rebuild.
That's a tricky situation. It adds multiple, multiple layers of
complexity to a fire story. It's one thing for a
(24:35):
home to be to have experienced fire damage, a house fire,
two or three houses in a street, or a neighborhood
to be touched by fire, or an open space wildfire.
These fires are all of the above, and they have,
(24:56):
as you know by now, devastated multiple multiple blocks of
entire neighborhoods.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
And so.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
How do we start there? How do you restart there?
After an entire town is destroyed by a fire, Where
does the money come from to help people rebuild? To
help people rebuild their homes, their schools, their businesses.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Well.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Of course, immediate help will be provided by agencies like
Red Cross and dozens of volunteers who are there to
provide everything from shelter, clothing, food, help with animals, which
is a big thing that happens behind the scenes here.
For example, you know dozens of recovered animals have already
(25:39):
been relocated in these fires through the work of SBCA
County shelters, volunteer organizations working with animals. And then you
hear FEMA fear a lot about FEMA. I was on
with Conway on Thursday night, and rightly so. Conway was
directing all sorts of people who are listening to make
(26:02):
sure that you have, if you have been affected by
the fires, that you have contacted FEMA and have gotten
on the list. Okay. FEMA, SBA, the Small Business Administration,
they are on the ground in fires like these. Grants
(26:22):
are issued by FEMA for immediate needs.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
FEMA is not there to rebuild your home. FEMA is
there in order to see that people are safe and
sound and that immediately, to whatever degree possible, those immediate
needs can be helped.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
So FEMA SBCA provides low interest loans to individuals and
businesses for rebuilding after the fact. However, let's just be
super clear about this. The bulk of recovery is intended
and is going to fall on private insurance. Okay, And
(27:03):
that's tough. That is tricky, and it's tough. There's also
assistance for those who are now unemployed or are of
lost significant work time due to the fires. But the
problem with insurance is that many are not insured at
all or significantly underinsured when it comes to these events,
(27:23):
and there are folks who are going to be battling
their insurance companies for months and years to come. I wish,
I wish I could give you a brighter picture regarding that,
but that's simply the case. So for those of you
who have not been touched yet by a natural disaster
(27:45):
or fire, the lesson here is to make sure you
understand how you are insured and that you have, if
at all possible when it comes to natural disasters, replacement coverage. Okay, yes,
replacement cost coverage costs more, But of course, as in
(28:05):
most things, the heaviest burden is going to be falling
on those with the least amount of money, and in
situations like this, the poor and those who are under
insured and who have minimal amounts of money, many of
them are never going to recover from these fires financially,
in terms of recouping their losses. These are the realities
(28:28):
on the ground. So first line of defense, of course,
get safe, get relocated. We'll talk about that when we
come back. How about that. Okay, more coverage on these
southern California fires from the house whispers perspective here on KFI.
You're listening to KFI
Speaker 3 (28:51):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio app KFI
AM six forty live streaming in HD everywhere on the
iHeartRadio App. Hey, welcome to home. I am Dean Sharp,
(00:22):
the House Whisper. I design custom homes, I build custom homes,
and for this weekend, as always, I am your guide
to better understanding that place where you live Today on
the program, Well, for those of us who live in
southern California, that place where we live is under the
ongoing threat and devastation of what has been now the
(00:47):
most costliest wildfires in United States history. We're going to
continue to cover those fires for you, of course through
the twenty four hour KFI Newsroom, but we'll also be
talking about them today on the show, specifically from my
perspective and what I can bring to the table for you.
(01:08):
We're going to be talking some about, especially this weekend
moving forward, what happens next when the fires are done
and they will end, but they are still burning. When
such devastation has been created by such a natural disaster,
(01:29):
where do you pick up and what comes next, especially
when it comes to your home or the total loss
of your home. For those of you who are listening,
and I know lots of people from all around the
country are listening, I hope that you hang with us
because there's a lot of application here. Specifically, of course
(01:52):
we're going to be talking about wildfires and its effect
on a home, but in the bigger scope of things,
much of what we'll discuss this weekend has to do
with any natural disaster and a response from residential perspective
after it has gone its way, whether it is a
hurricane or flood, a tornado, whatever the case may be.
(02:19):
Natural disasters have a way of resetting the clock in
a lot of things, and we're gonna be dealing with
that this morning. How soon can anybody get back to
these properties? What comes next? What are the next steps
after your home has been devastated, and how soon is
(02:43):
that rebuilding process? Is there a rebuilding process, and what
to expect through it out all of that and a
whole lot more, and of course you will find a
empathetic and an informative voice here, I hope, and we
will be taking calls as well, and of course again
(03:03):
I'm going to be talking about this as always with calls,
anything you want to talk about regarding your home today.
The number to reach me eight three to three two.
Ask Dean A three three the numeral two, Ask dean
eight three three two ask dean. Of course, I am
going to prioritize calls related to fire today, but we
(03:25):
will take calls on any subject whatsoever as we go
as we do. And that brings up an important point.
As devastating as these fires are, and they are, I
am in no way, shape or form going to make
light of them. One of the things I want you
to understand if you don't live in Southern California is
(03:47):
as you see national news coverage, it always tends to
happen this way. You know, it looks as though Los
Angeles is on fire. Southern California is on fire. It's
burning to the ground, and a large portion of our
home here is doing just that, and there is great devastation,
(04:07):
as we will review in the updated stats here in
just a bit. However, if you don't understand LA or
the La Orange County San Bernardino area, the greater Los
Angeles metroplex, or what I just tend to refer to
as southern California, if you don't understand if you haven't
visited and you haven't really understood the scope of what
(04:31):
life is like here, if you're from a traditional town
or traditional city, then one of the things that is
easy to misunderstand when you're looking at national news coverage
of what's going on here is these fires are massive
and yet at the same time, most, the vast majority
(04:52):
of Los Angeles and Orange County and San Bernardino County
residents are unaffected directly by these fire Southern California, if
you want to call it this southern the Southern California,
the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, if we just take
the LA name and apply it to the continuous urban
(05:17):
sprawl essentially that is here in southern California, it is
roughly one hundred miles from north to south and one
hundred miles from east to west. Okay, that is a massive,
massive metropolitan area. These fires have affected tens of thousands
(05:38):
of acres. But just understand for those of us here
that there are most areas in Southern California are completely safe.
But we have all all of us emotionally and all
of us indirectly been affected by these fires. And so
we are going to continue to focus on them as
(05:59):
we go. Let me enter you shoot to our awesome team.
Sam of course is on the board. How are you doing, Sam,
I'm okay, brother, It's good to hear your voice. It's
good to be here as well. UH produced. There's our
almost live studio audience. UH producer Richie is standing by
already screening calls. The call of the phone lines are
(06:20):
open again. Eight three three two. Ask dean eight three
to three the numeral two ass Dean Eileen Gonzalez of
course on the due's desk. Good morning, Eileen, good morning.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Good to hear your voice and your sunshiny attitude is
much needed today.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Well, we're going to do our best. We're going to
do our best. We're not going to look through this
situation with any rose colored glasses, but we're going to
bring everybody as much comfort and information as we can
along the way. How are you any issues with where
you're at in regards to the fires.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I'm lucky, I'm I'm near Uh, I'm near Marina del Rey,
so I'm in a safe zone. But the smoke has
been pretty bad and I'm definitely feeling that.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Oh, no doubt, no doubt. So Marina del Rey, down
south of Santa Monica and just a few miles from
the fire, but a few miles, it's a lot of that.
That's a big distance and south. But the winds have
been blowing essentially south since this thing started, so you've
basically received all the smoke. See I live, I probably
(07:23):
my home is probably as close, if not closer in
proximity as the crow flies to the fire. But this
fire started with those heavy, heavy, crazy southern wind, southern
south pound wind and h and so there has been
(07:44):
no smoke in the Canao Valley, no blue skies, no,
not even a trace of it, because it's all been
blowing your way.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
You guys may hear it in my voice today, just yeah, exactly, yeah,
I know a lot of people that lost their homes.
And yeah it's very very yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Same here, same here, all right. Sitting across the table
from me, my better half, my design partner, my best
friend in all the world, who is celebrating something today.
I don't even know what, but she's got something going on.
Oh it's the National Elephant Day.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Today is your birthday? What it is? Happy birthday to
you know?
Speaker 1 (08:26):
All right? Well, yeah, it's not the greatest weekend to
have a birthday, and so cal I gotta tell you,
but you know what, I'm grateful. I'm grateful that we're here.
All right, y'all. Here's the thing. Let's have some news
for my leen, and when we come back, let's get
an update on all of the fires and then begin
(08:47):
a conversation a little different than the ones that you've
been hearing through the rest of the week, because you know,
it's me, and we're going to be talking about homes
and structures and also rebuilding and what does that mean
all of that and more. Yafi Dean Sharp the House Whisper,
Welcome home. Thanks for joining us this early early Saturday morning,
(09:13):
a few minutes before six thirty. We rent long in
our opening segment because I wanted to sort of lay
out where we're going this weekend on our program. Here
this morning and tomorrow, we're going to be talking about
wildfires from a house Whisper perspective, hopefully adding to the
(09:36):
conversation not just repeating updates and which, of course we're
going to do, but also contributing to a broader conversation
about where do we go from here as these fires
will eventually of course, be snuffed out, and then the
(09:56):
swath of Devas station that they have left in their path.
What do we do, especially when entire It's one thing
to say, oh, I had fire damage on my house.
It's something entirely different to say that an entire neighborhood
or a region of homes has been destroyed. What happens then?
(10:18):
Is there a rebuild? Who rebuilds? When will we rebuild?
And so on? So we're going to have that unique
perspective and take on that as we move along this morning.
But I do want to say this. I went long
in the first segment just to get to all of
that information in and to have an extended conversation with
the team and the crew here. And we're up against
(10:42):
another short break, another short break right now, and when
we return, we'll get back on our regular cycle here
and dive into this conversation. Does that sound good?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Good?
Speaker 1 (10:54):
We will start with an update of everything that we
know about all of the fires here in southern California.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Forty five AM six forty live streaming in HD everywhere
on the iHeartRadio app. Dean Sharp the house whisper with
you on this smoky southern California Saturday morning here in
the wee hours of January eleventh, twenty twenty five. We
(11:29):
are still battling several wildfires on several fronts, and we're
going to be discussing them with you here on the
program today. I'm going to give you my ongoing input
and perspective answering now the question not so much how
do we defend against this? Because they're here. They're here now.
(11:50):
I will, of course, over the course of today and
tomorrow be reviewing with you the things that you can
do to harden your home against these kinds of events.
But I also want to take this weekend and specifically
focus on where do you go after a disaster like this?
How do you move forward in regards to your home,
(12:11):
everything from what to expect on the insurance level to
the city level, municipalities, neighborhood responses, infrastructure, and so on.
So we're going to do as much as we can.
Phone lines are also open, by the way, and if
we have the opportunity, and I'm hoping to take calls
(12:31):
and as always, anything you need and want to talk
about your home today. I am going to prioritize fire calls,
but honestly, wouldn't it be just a great relief to
spend a few minutes talking to somebody about a problem
with their home that is unrelated to it burning to
the ground. So whatever our opportunities are, will take those
(12:54):
calls as they come. The number to reach me eight
three three, to ask dean eight three three, the numeral
two acidine foe lines are open now. Producer Richie standing by.
He'll tell you everything you need to know. Pop you
into the queue and hopefully we can put our heads
together and figure out what's going on with your home.
And of course, ongoing coverage from the KFI twenty four
(13:17):
hour newsroom. We've got Eileen Gonzalez with us this morning
at the tip of that spear, and she will keep
us informed about any immediate up dates and breaking news
in regards to the fire. Let's do a quick update
of what we know so far. There are multiple fires burning.
Here is the latest. I believe these are the latest numbers,
(13:40):
If not directly on the nose, they're very very close
The Palisades Fire, of course, the largest of all of
the fires that we've been dealing with here. Currently eight
percent contained, the blaze has burned through more than twenty
one thousand acres in and around Pacific Palisades. The current
(14:06):
count of structures either affected or destroyed I believe is
over fifty three hundred structures since Tuesday, and currently the
fire is now spreading toward Brentwood, so it is making
an eastward journey now along the hills up above Sunset
(14:29):
Boulevard and moving eastward as opposed to pushing as far south,
which has been its primary direction up until these wind
events calm down, And of course we have more wind
events coming anticipated in this next week, so it's very
(14:49):
very important during this lull right now in the wind
that these fires get as contained as they possibly can
be before the wind starts kicking up again. But the
Palisades eight percent contained currently and moving eastward toward the
Brentwood area. The Eton Fire three percent contained, affecting of
(15:14):
course Pasadena, Altadena Sierra Madre fourteen thousand, a little over
fourteen thousand acres currently. Some are saying as many as
seven thousand structures have been damaged or destroyed by that
fire as well. Looking down into these heavily lived in
(15:36):
neighborhood areas. The Kenneth fire fifty percent contained. That is
the one that just started up on Friday, or was
it Thursday Thursday? Thursday Thursday, Calabasas Hidden Hills area fifty
percent contained and from what has been reported to me,
(15:58):
on certain fronts, on certain critical fronts, no forward movement
for movement has been blocked on its most critical front,
so that's good news. In regards to the Kenneth fire.
The Lydia fire was Antelope Valley area ninety eight percent contained.
(16:18):
It burned through three hundred and ninety five acres. The
Hurst fire in the north area of the San Fernando
Valley seven hundred and seventy one acres seventy percent contained.
Good news there as well. And the Archer fire, which
is new, that's a blaze that broke out Friday morning,
yesterday morning in the Granada Hills area. We're looking at
(16:41):
twenty plus acres so far, zero percent containment on that
new bust out fire in the Granada Hills area. And
the Sunset fire which flared up as far as we
can tell, I mean, my assumption was the Sunset fire
was not being set by somebody else or a down
power line. My assumption was the Sunset Fire was a
(17:03):
spot fire that happened as a result of embers traveling
from Palisades. I don't have that confirmed. That was my assumption,
but the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills one hundred
percent contained as of Thursday evening, according to CalFire. All
in all, more than twelve thousand structures damaged or destroyed. Currently,
(17:25):
eleven deaths have been counted. It's anticipated that more will
will come or at least be realized, as these fires
are contained and the areas are surveyed. And as of now,
these Los Angeles area wildfires specifically amount to the costliest
(17:48):
wildfire disaster not in Los Angeles history, but in US history,
in US history. So let me begin with this. I
think this is where all of this should begin. Appreciation
on my part from all of the brave, dedicated men
and women who have been tirelessly fighting these fires and
(18:10):
who do all the time. I know we have in
the last couple of decades. Ever, since nine to eleven,
we have all kind of culturally been accustomed to seeing
a member of the US Armed Services and thanking them
for their service, which I think is a great thing
(18:31):
a great thing as well as police, but absolutely if
you live in southern California, it is time to let
those words trip out over your tongue every time you
see somebody who works for one of our first responding
firefighting agencies, to thank them for their service. Appreciation also
(18:54):
for all of the cooperation and out of area fire
services who've rushed in to assist. Tina and I were
actually coming down. We had spent a little time on
Thursday morning up in the Santa Barbar area, and when
we came back down, we thought we would go and
(19:15):
simply do a little bit surveying on behalf of the
station for what we could see on pch We get
all the way down to Pepperdine and it wasn't looking
good there at the time. But at the Zuoma Beach
Command Center, which the entire parking lot at Zuma has
(19:37):
been you know, taken over by firefighting agencies as a
command center, as a little relief station and so on,
it was really heartening to see the just the mass
hundreds of firefighting vehicles and equipment there, but really heartening
to see that the where they came from. It you're
(20:00):
reading the doors and the sides of these fire engines
and tankers and the trailers with bulldozers and Caterpillar firefighting
equipment on it. Equipment from cities and counties from all
over California, as you could imagine, but up and down California,
from every corner of this state. There every city, every
(20:25):
county represented, and then as well as out of state
firefighting agency. We saw equipment from Arizona, from Oregon, from
Washington State, from Idaho. I'm sure there are some that
I'm not mentioning, but that's what comes to mind, and
(20:45):
it was just it was heartening. And if there's a
way to touch a positive note here, a silver lining
as it were, to a natural disaster, I think it's
that the idea that the way that people can pull
together and help each other for a time, for a time,
(21:11):
if there's a silver lining to a disaster, the immediacy
of the threat and the need can bring out and
does often bring out the very best in people. Now,
of course, for those who have comfortable, safe vantage points,
these events are already being criticized and politicized. That's not
going to happen here with me this morning, today or tomorrow,
(21:35):
this episode, this or the next on the podcast. Not
interested in that, don't go there, not gonna That's not
my game. I'm here to talk to you about what
happens next and how we can help get you through it.
But but, and so, of course, of course, the further
(21:57):
you are away from these fires, the more you hear
all sorts of criticism, the politicizing of the events, and
that's just going to continue, you know that's the case.
But for the countless people who are in it, for
the tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated,
for the thousands and thousands of people who've lost their homes,
(22:20):
for all of the firefighters on the front lines, for
the volunteers who show up with food and water and blankets,
for the neighbors who show up offering shelter and opened
arms and kind words, and for the friends and family
from all over, just a big shout out of appreciation.
(22:42):
And again, if there's a place that you can turn
your heart and mind to when it's frustrated and confused
and stressed from all of the fear and anxiety of
the disaster itself, it is it's heartening, heartening to see
human beings act like the best of human beings in
(23:05):
times like this. All right, what happens next? Let's talk
a little bit about FEMA. Let's talk a little bit
about the steps that will happen as we move forward,
and this fire will we'll tackle that. Okay, if I
Dean sharp the house whisper, welcome home. We are discussing
on going coverage of the southern California Los Angeles area
(23:28):
fires from our unique perspective here in regards to homes,
and from our expertise as designers and builders of homes.
I'm going to continue that conversation today and tomorrow. Also
we may be going to the phones. I hope we
will be going to the phones. There's certain info I
know I want to get out for you, especially this morning.
(23:50):
And then we will and as always, we can talk
about fire, we can talk about the current situation. We
can talk about anything regarding your home. A three three two,
ask Dean is the number to reach me? The phones
are open. Producer Richie is there. He'll take your call,
tell you what you need to know, pop you into
the queue. All right, As we continue to discuss where
(24:14):
we're at here, So I want to turn the corner
and ask this question, how does an entire neighborhood rebuild.
That's a tricky situation. It adds multiple, multiple layers of
complexity to a fire story. It's one thing for a
(24:35):
home to be to have experienced fire damage, a house fire,
two or three houses in a street, or a neighborhood
to be touched by fire, or an open space wildfire.
These fires are all of the above, and they have,
(24:56):
as you know by now, devastated multiple multiple blocks of
entire neighborhoods.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
And so.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
How do we start there? How do you restart there?
After an entire town is destroyed by a fire, Where
does the money come from to help people rebuild? To
help people rebuild their homes, their schools, their businesses.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Well.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Of course, immediate help will be provided by agencies like
Red Cross and dozens of volunteers who are there to
provide everything from shelter, clothing, food, help with animals, which
is a big thing that happens behind the scenes here.
For example, you know dozens of recovered animals have already
(25:39):
been relocated in these fires through the work of SBCA
County shelters, volunteer organizations working with animals. And then you
hear FEMA fear a lot about FEMA. I was on
with Conway on Thursday night, and rightly so. Conway was
directing all sorts of people who are listening to make
(26:02):
sure that you have, if you have been affected by
the fires, that you have contacted FEMA and have gotten
on the list. Okay. FEMA, SBA, the Small Business Administration,
they are on the ground in fires like these. Grants
(26:22):
are issued by FEMA for immediate needs.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
FEMA is not there to rebuild your home. FEMA is
there in order to see that people are safe and
sound and that immediately, to whatever degree possible, those immediate
needs can be helped.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
So FEMA SBCA provides low interest loans to individuals and
businesses for rebuilding after the fact. However, let's just be
super clear about this. The bulk of recovery is intended
and is going to fall on private insurance. Okay, And
(27:03):
that's tough. That is tricky, and it's tough. There's also
assistance for those who are now unemployed or are of
lost significant work time due to the fires. But the
problem with insurance is that many are not insured at
all or significantly underinsured when it comes to these events,
(27:23):
and there are folks who are going to be battling
their insurance companies for months and years to come. I wish,
I wish I could give you a brighter picture regarding that,
but that's simply the case. So for those of you
who have not been touched yet by a natural disaster
(27:45):
or fire, the lesson here is to make sure you
understand how you are insured and that you have, if
at all possible when it comes to natural disasters, replacement coverage. Okay, yes,
replacement cost coverage costs more, But of course, as in
(28:05):
most things, the heaviest burden is going to be falling
on those with the least amount of money, and in
situations like this, the poor and those who are under
insured and who have minimal amounts of money, many of
them are never going to recover from these fires financially,
in terms of recouping their losses. These are the realities
(28:28):
on the ground. So first line of defense, of course,
get safe, get relocated. We'll talk about that when we
come back. How about that. Okay, more coverage on these
southern California fires from the house whispers perspective here on KFI.
You're listening to KFI
Speaker 3 (28:51):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty
Home with Dean Sharp News
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