Yes, wildfires can devastate communities – but they can also help strengthen them, this CU researcher says

In The NOCO

Wildfires in Colorado rip through communities. They torch homes and disrupt lives.

But wildfires also cause some surprising – maybe even uplifting – things to happen. They make people more resilient. They strengthen the bonds between neighbors. And those stronger connections help people prepare for future emergencies.

That’s according to Lori Peek – a researcher who studies how communities come together during and after natural disasters. Lori is a sociologist and the director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Today, we’re listening back to a recent conversation she had with Erin O’Toole about the surprisingly robust field of study that examines how humans interact during and after a crisis.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.