On New Years Eve 2019, ‘apocalyptic’ bushfires ripped through the NSW South Coast, destroying 89 properties in Lake Conjola. It was 1030am and local resident Greg Webb was in his office. Within minutes the temperate jumped from 38˚C to 50˚C – which Greg described as same feeling as ‘opening an oven’ when he walked outside.

Greg’s house was engulfed in flames and destroyed in the bushfires – with only the steel and concrete components of the house visible in the smouldering wreck.

While some other residents have chosen to leave the area, Greg is rebuilding – and has designed a resilient and sustainable house using the FORTIS principles.

It has been a long recovery journey to this point, and Greg describes his excitement for building the new home as part of his post-traumatic growth.

In this episode, Andrew and Josh speak with Greg about the impact of the fires, how his house is both resilient and sustainable, and how as a survivor, he’s managed to negotiate the many challenges in disaster recovery.

Watch Greg’s story on our YouTube Channel – @memyselfdisaster.

Follow Greg’s recovery journey on his YouTube channel – Webby Walks.

We speak with one of the architects behind the FORTIS home design – Dr James Davidson earlier on the podcast.