How a board game can help vulnerable communities prepare for catastrophic wildfires

Wildfire season is here, with several blazes already burning across the country. Climate change is increasing their frequency and intensity, and experts are struggling to prepare vulnerable communities. But some are trying a new approach - a board game. From KQED Public Media, Katherine Monahan takes us to the coastal village of Tomales in northern California.

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And the game is on. At each turn, players encounter new variables as they try to escape the flames - a road blocked by a downed tree, a neighbor asking for help, a new fire popping up along the highway.

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The playfulness of it allows us to think about these things that are really stressful in a way that is lower-stress but yet still helps us start to unravel some of the things that are going on in that dire situation. So the game is just a way to trick us into thinking about them in more creative ways.

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After the game, Maiorana asked community members to share what they learned. Elizabeth Bonini says the game made her think about how she would evacuate her mother.