5. Fire Survivors Are Being Left to Figure It Out: iO Wright on Building PostFire
Jennifer Gray Thompson speaks with Eaton Fire survivor, journalist, and PostFire co-founder iO Wright about what happens when a person loses their home and is suddenly forced to navigate a recovery system that is confusing, fragmented, and often hard to access. iO shares how he and his partner, Patty, turned their own experience of loss into PostFire, a revolutionary survivor-centered platform designed to offer clear, fact-checked, trauma-informed guidance for people rebuilding after fire.
Their conversation looks at the gaps survivors face around insurance, housing, FEMA, debris removal, donations, rebuilding costs, and information overload. It also explores why dignity, choice, and trusted communication matter so much after disaster, especially when people are exhausted and trying to make decisions that will shape the next several years of their lives.
At its heart, this episode is about what becomes possible when survivors are listened to, supported, and trusted as experts in their own recovery.
Resources:
- How to Disaster
- Learn more about After the Fire USA
- After the Fire USA Resource Library
- PostFire
- iO Wright
- PostFire on Instagram
- Connect with Jennifer Gray Thompson on LinkedIn
Produced by NOVA