Our country has been watching the news reports of the devastating Los Angeles fires with horror and empathy. Fires in four different regions have thus far consumed 62 square miles of land, have destroyed over 12,000 structures, have killed 24 people, have forced evacuations of over 150,000 people and have left over 450,000 people without power or basics like water. The before and after photos are absolutely devastating in terms of homes that have been lost. There are so many landmarks and houses of worship that have also been destroyed. Unfortunately, the winds are picking up again and it appears that the damage is still growing.
Governor Newsom has declared that this may be the worst disaster in American history. I can’t imagine how long it will take to recover from this horrendous destruction of an entire region since there has been infrastructure damage in power and water supply. The impact will last for years and some families will never fully recover.
What we know about this kind of loss, particularly for those who have lost their homes, is that the trauma created will be long-lasting. Returning to your home where everything but a few relics are scorched by fire is overwhelming. There are lost possessions, memories of life events that are as mentally scorched as the possessions, significant senses of grief and displacement, and general PTSD. It has been as if a significant part of your life was taken from you and you were helpless and powerless to prevent it. That kind of loss of power and helplessness is characteristic of trauma in its most difficult expression.
We typically speak of recovery in terms of the physical damage and/or replacement of homes and properties. However, the level of grief, loss, traumatic stress, devastating mental imprints, sensations such as smell of burnt items and many visual images, will haunt the impacted individuals for years to come. In fact, some may never fully recover from what has happened and may have health and emotional consequences from these fires.
I deeply appreciate all of the efforts that are ongoing to bring relief. Emergency housing, food, living expenses, practical support and counseling are all so vitally important. That is just the beginning of what these displaced families will need. We will need to recognize that the manifestations of trauma will be ongoing, and their needed support will be multi-faceted and broad in scope.
As a compassionate country that is concerned about our citizens in crisis, we should be providing holistic recovery. We should provide the physical reconstruction but also support groups, individual counseling and trauma-sensitive interventions to help these individuals with all the consequences of these devastating traumas in their lives. To see only the physical aspects is incomplete – true recovery needs to be physical, emotional, mental and relational. They will need a lengthy timeframe to recover and will only heal through an intentional set of processes and relationships that will bring empathy, emotional support and hope.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
