Coping With Grief, Anxiety, and Loss After a Wildfire or Natural Disaster
Experiencing a devastating natural disaster can trigger a wide range of intense emotions — shock, terror, disbelief, and helplessness. Wildfires in particular don't just impact the mental health of residents whose neighborhoods were directly in the path of the fire; they affect the wider community who watched the devastation unfold, felt helpless to act, and are left grappling with what comes next.
The mental health impact of a disaster like this often isn't visible right away. Many people remain in a state of shock for weeks or even months after a life-threatening event, and that shock can linger just as long for those who witnessed the tragedy from a distance. What often helps most in the aftermath is community — people organizing to provide resources, housing, and support for one another. The helplessness so many feel in the moment can, over time, turn into action. And action is one of the most powerful antidotes to despair.
There's often a collective sense of grief that settles over an entire community after events like this. People heal in community, so it matters to talk openly about how you're feeling with the people around you, and to spend time with those who make you feel safe and supported.
Common Symptoms After a Disaster
In the aftermath of a wildfire or similar event, it's common to experience signs of trauma, including:
Intrusive memories — nightmares, unwanted thoughts, flashbacks
Avoidance of people, places, or things that remind you of the event
Emotional numbing or dissociation — a survival response that helps you compartmentalize what happened so you can keep functioning
Self-blame, shame, or guilt, and a shaken sense of the world as a safe place
Social withdrawal, isolation, or loss of interest in things that used to matter to you
Memory problems, which can also be a dissociative response to trauma
Hypervigilance — irritability, trouble sleeping, feeling "jumpy," difficulty concentrating
Physical symptoms like headaches, stomach issues, muscle tension, and fatigue
If someone you love was directly impacted by a disaster, you may notice these same shifts in their mood, memory, or behavior. That's a normal response to an abnormal event, not a sign that something is wrong with them.
Healing Isn't Linear
Processing this kind of experience takes time. Many people feel a pull to find "normal" again as quickly as possible, but it's worth naming clearly: the normal you knew before doesn't simply return. You're building a new normal, and that process isn't linear. Some days will be harder than others. There are also brighter days ahead.
If you're struggling right now, the single most important thing you can do is lean on your support system and reach out for extra help when you need it. People aren't meant to process events like this alone — we need each other, and we become an essential part of one another's healing.
Therapy is another resource worth leaning on. If you're navigating grief, anxiety, or trauma symptoms after a disaster, you don't have to carry it by yourself.
About the Author
Tori Smith is a licensed therapist and owner of Victoria Smith, LCSW, Inc., an online and in-person therapy practice in California focused on helping young professionals heal from anxiety and trauma, and quiet the critical internal voices of perfectionism. If you're a California resident, schedule a free consultation call to learn more.
Resources:
https://www.cdss.ca.gov/disaster-help-center
https://lafla.org/fire-referral-list/
https://www.ca.gov/LAFires/
https://www.lahsa.org/newsArticle/resources-to-support-those-during-the-la-fires
https://www.iaem.org/Resources/Los-Angeles-Fire-Resources
https://disability.lacity.gov/emergency-resources