Keough faculty member Susan Ostermann, a Kellogg faculty fellow, recently co-authored an article drawing upon research of the 2023 Lahaina, Maui, wildfires as a lesson for prevention of similar tragedies in Los Angeles.
After hearing of the conditions in Los Angeles, Ostermann and her team expressed hope for the implementation of proper precautionary efforts. The impending Santa Ana winds and dry winter in the region reminded them of the conditions Lahaina had experienced before disaster struck. When the fires broke out, Ostermann and her colleagues offered advice and reassurance regarding housing resilience from what they had learned from their research in Lahaina.
Ostermann warns that it will be years before the area is meaningfully inhabited again, and this in itself comes with complications. From the extensive cleanup necessary from the melting of toxic housing materials into soil, to recent construction cost increases, the rebuilding of the community will be far from simple. But, Ostermann says that with this incredible sadness and destruction comes hope and resilience from the community. The key to this resilience, she says, is using this event to create positive change moving from a clean slate.
Ostermann is an assistant professor of global affairs in the Keough School of Global Affairs and an expert in South Asian comparative politics, environmental regulation, and regulatory compliance.