Best tech to have on hand for emergencies

Plus: a helpful movie app, tracking your kids & a newsletter milestone.

Hi there, and thanks for taking the time to open this newsletter.

First Up…

What a whirlwind of a week it’s been in Los Angeles.

I want to say I am still thinking of everyone impacted by these wildfires. The far-reaching nature of this disaster is almost incomprehensible.

There are still folks who can’t get into their neighborhoods to see their homes, people who went without electricity for days, people who have lost everything in a pile of rubble, families and students displaced and the list goes on and on.

Since my wife works closely with a lot of those affected, I am hearing the personal stories on a nightly basis and it’s going to be a long road to recovery.

It’s been nice to see how the community is stepping up in this time of need.

I’ve been trying to use my platforms—including TV, radio, and social media—as a sort of an information clearinghouse. My goal is to be the most helpful person you follow, and I hope that comes through in my posts.

Also, I did get a chance to briefly visit a small area of the Palisades that was affected by the fire—just getting in was a wild experience. Military and police barricades were everywhere, but as a journalist, I was granted access for a story. Seeing the area firsthand was unbelievable—it looked like a war zone.

What got me most was the juxtaposition of the calm beach and sand on one side of PCH and absolute devastation on the other.

On a more positive note…

This newsletter reached 40,000 subscribers this week - 40,087, to be exact, as I write this. That’s an incredible number, and I am so happy so many of you welcome me into your inbox each week.

This Week’s TV Segments

Many critical communications infrastructures were damaged in these fires. I traveled to one of the mobile command centers to see how the various wireless companies set up mobile towers to keep first responders and the surrounding community connected.

One Verizon engineer I spoke with was particularly proud of how they tapped into a nearby fiber line to provide a 5G signal instead of the 4G LTE signal they would get from the satellite dish they traditionally set up in situations like this.

This situation got me thinking about the tech that can keep us connected and charged up during an emergency. There are many portable power stations, solar panels, and even satellite internet. Here’s a look at what to consider putting in your emergency tech kit.

Q&A

Jody writes in...

My 13-year-old daughter switched from Android to iPhone, and I can't track her location anymore for her safety and my peace of mind. I used to rely on parental controls when she had Android, but now I'm at a loss. I worry about her walking home from school while I'm at work. Please help! I love watching you on KTLA and have learned so much from you.

Thanks for watching, Jody!

I think the best app for this is Life360. Install it on both of your phones and you can track her location. To take it a step further, you could also use a Tile tracker for added peace of mind. Life360 recently purchased Tile and their trackers work hand in hand.

Apps to Know

I’m always looking for an app to help me with movie recommendations. An app called Watchworthy just added movies to the mix. You can rate a bunch of your favorites, and it will serve up movies it thinks you’ll love. You can also keep a watchlist and see which streaming services a title is on. My other favorites include Just Watch and Reelgood.

It’s not an app, but a new service called Autopilot might be worth considering if you travel frequently. It tracks the prices you pay for United, American and Delta to look for price drops. It it finds one that’s more than $25, it will automatically get you an airline credit for the difference. There’s no monthly fee, but it will charge you a 25% commission each time it works its magic.

Nintendo Switches It Up

Nintendo has finally revealed at least some details about its upcoming Switch 2 gaming console. It looks bigger than before, with redesigned controllers that snap in as opposed to sliding in, plus USB-C, a headphone jack, and support for physical and digital games. Not every game will be backward compatible, though. This will be a huge holiday seller for Nintendo in 2025. There is still no word on the price or launch date.

Quick Hits

DJI is dropping the feature of its software that prevents drones from entering “no-fly zones.” Now, users will just see a warning that they can breeze past with a tap.

DIRECTV has a new MySports plan that’s mostly just sports and broadcast channels - minus anything from CBS right now. It’s $70 a month but $50 for the first three months and not available in every market.

Wildfire Related Resources

DriveSavers is offering wildfire victims free data recovery service; limited to one device or drive per person.

KTLA has created a dedicated page full of resources for fire victims, ways to donate, businesses giving back and more.

Loti has an entire “learning” site to help fire victims through the recovery process. There are tons of informative pages on terms, planning, checklists and more. The most popular article explains how to talk to your insurance company. The site was created by someone who lost their home in a Northern California wildfire a few years ago.

You’ve heard of Watch Duty. Firespot is another helpful app that pulls data from various government agencies and puts it all in one place.

Here are links to the official maps that let you look up a home by address in the Palisades or Eaton fire to check if it’s been damaged.

On a lighter note…

This week, we pulled out an old hand-crank emergency radio, and my 10-year-old son immediately started tinkering with it. He was completely fascinated, turning the dial and listening to music from different stations.

At one point, he looked up at me in awe and asked, "Are we stealing this music?" I laughed and told him no. His response: "I can’t believe you can get this for free." That put the biggest smile on my face.

Speaking of radio, on my show this weekend:

🏠 Mike Yurochko talks Loti, his free platform helping disaster victims with insurance claims

🏈 Digital Trends' Caleb Denison reviews best TVs for watching the big game across all price ranges

🧬 Colossal CEO Ben Lamm discusses extinct species revival through genetic engineering

Stay safe.

Rich