I have friends who lost houses. I have family who were burned out of their home. Los Angeles has lost churches, synagogues, and architecture that are part of our collective history—not just architectural gems, but civic hubs and touchstones for communal memory.

Out-of-control wildfires are ripping across parts of Los Angeles, leading to at least five deaths, burning down hundreds of buildings, and prompting more than 130,000 people to flee their homes in America's second-largest city.

The wildfire devastation in Los Angeles will require California to develop far greater resiliency to climate-worsened disasters to sustain its revival—and a path for withstanding future disasters.