A Mental Health Crisis After a Natural Disaster

The wildfires racing through Los Angeles just days ago left far more than physical destruction in their wake. For thousands of residents, the sight of smoke, the sound of sirens, and the never-ending updates on shifting wind patterns have activated powerful fear responses. These psychological reactions often do not disappear simply because the immediate flames have subsided. Long after the final embers die out, the stories of lost homes, the lingering smell of ash, and the sight of charred neighborhoods function like triggers—pulling many back into the traumatic occurrences and continuing to threaten their emotional well-being.

As a mental health professional specializing in trauma, I have been observing how people in LA are trying to deal with these unsettling experiences. The scale of the damage makes them wonder whether they are developing PTSD. Not everyone will go on to develop it, but many will experience heightened anxiety, depression, and trauma-related stress. Residents who have lost their homes or witnessed entire communities reduced to ash face not only material challenges but also disruptions to the fundamental feeling of safety upon which our mental health depends.

Why Wildfires Can Be Especially Traumatic

We now know that situations involving extreme danger and sudden displacement have psychological impacts. Losing one’s house—or even just the ability to inhabit a neighborhood—represents a profound blow to personal safety. When our “safe space” vanishes, it can overturn our emotional equilibrium and create a sense that nothing in life is predictable anymore. For some, the hyper-alert state may lead to PTSD-like symptoms: nightmares, flashbacks, disturbing intrusive thoughts, self-blame, and an inability to shake a sense of impending disaster.

Natural Responses vs. Clinical Diagnosis

While trauma symptoms can feel overwhelming and alarming, it is important to note that experiencing them does not automatically mean a person has PTSD. Full criteria requires symptoms to persist for at least a month and to cause significant impairment in daily functioning. Since many of these devastating fires occurred less than a month ago, no one meets the technical criteria for a PTSD diagnosis yet.

This distinction may seem merely semantic, but it can be reassuring. Recognizing that you can have strong stress reactions without necessarily having a disorder can reduce panic and self-judgment. As difficult as these symptoms may be, they are also natural, protective responses that can lessen in intensity once the immediate threat is gone. This process is comparable to how the body recovers from a flu: you might feel exhausted, feverish, and weak for several days. Even after the fever breaks, lingering fatigue may last a bit longer. The key is allowing your mind and body time to recalibrate.

Obstacles to Recovery: A Constant State of Alarm

One of the greatest barriers to regaining a sense of safety is the possibility of new flare-ups. Fires can reignite suddenly if conditions remain hot, dry, and windy. Meanwhile, media coverage keeps the attention squarely on risk. News segments highlight smoke advisories and ongoing threats, while social media platforms often spread both verified information and sensationalized stories, making it difficult to fully escape the feeling that danger is still there.

Even well-intentioned loved ones can inadvertently contribute to re-traumatization. Constantly asking to recount harrowing moments—“Tell me again how you escaped the flames,” or “What exactly did the sky look like when the fire was at its worst?”—can trigger strong emotional responses. Without proper guidance, rehashing the event can keep the brain in crisis mode, making it harder for the nervous system to recognize that the danger has passed.

Regaining a Sense of Safety

Despite these challenges, there are essential strategies to help prevent lasting psychological and physical consequences. Key among them is re-establishing a felt sense of security—both physical and emotional—as soon as possible.

1. Safe Temporary Housing: Staying with relatives or in a hotel can feed the idea that you are safe now.
2. Mindful Use of Media: While staying informed is important, endless scrolling or news-watching can keep you emotionally stuck in a cycle of fear. Setting specific and limited times to check updates can help your nervous system.
3. Support Systems: If you find speaking with friends, family, and neighbors who have gone through similar experiences triggering, politely steer them towards solutions, support, or shared hopes for recovery.
4. Professional Therapy: A mental health professional can help you process traumatic responses and symptoms in a safe, structured manner. Look for help and start healing before symptoms increase.
5. Self-Regulation Techniques: Simple practices such as deep breathing exercises can help calm an overactive nervous system. You can learn them from reputable apps or video tutorials.
6. Rebuilding Routines: The return of normalcy—even if it feels forced at first—can signal to your brain and body that the crisis is over. Regular meal times, a predictable sleep schedule, and small rituals like a daily walk can help shift the nervous system from hypervigilance to a more balanced state.
7. Reframing thoughts: Monitoring your thoughts about the fires, while acknowledging the reality of the threat, can help you recognize current circumstances and may offer more safety than initially perceived. The learning gained from these events can actually strengthen future abilities to deal with adversity.

Giving Yourself Space to Heal

An often-overlooked step in managing post-wildfire responses is granting yourself the time and space to reboot. We live in a culture that sometimes equates constant productivity with virtue, but the aftermath of a disaster requires pacing and rest. Much like the body needs downtime to fight off a virus, the psyche benefits from spaces of relative calm to process recent threats. Recognize that it is normal to feel emotional swings, from deep sadness and anger one day to relief or optimism the next. Recovering stability is rarely a neat, linear process.

Balancing Acknowledgment and Hope

Regaining a sense of safety does not require minimizing or dismissing the real danger the fires posed. It involves allowing the mind to acknowledge that the most threatening moments are past, and that each new day presents opportunities to build a safer and more stable environment. Humans are incredibly resilient, and resilience acknowledges that upheaval—no matter how severe—does not have to define the rest of one’s life.

Through understanding our natural responses, developing self-regulation skills, and gradually rebuilding daily routines, people can move forward — even with the memory of towering flames etched in our minds.

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