The Psychological Toll Of Losing Your Home In A Fire

LOADING ERROR LOADING Ellen Snortland is a journalist who lives in Altadena, one of the communities ravaged by wildfires in Southern California this week. At this point, she said, she really hasn’t thought about rebuilding, but given all she’s gone through, she admitted, “there’s a part of me that wants to buy an electric Airstream and hit the road.” AGUSTIN PAULLIER via Getty Images A home burns in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles on Wednesday. “It changed my life and I feel like I lost years.” It’s natural to feel anger after losing a home to a fire, even toward those offering well-meaning comments. “It was like trying to be normal after something awful happens, and then every person you meet has to bring up your personal loss and then stress you out.” Then, there was resentment toward people who’d brag that their house made it because they had “good defensive space” — even though Gibson was sure she had taken plenty of fire precautions. “Luckily, the kindergarten teacher recognized that the children had to play firefighters with buckets of water — for 12 months — in order to work through trauma and feel in control.” What people who’ve gone through wildfires want other disaster survivors to know The fires in LA are ongoing, with much of Los Angeles County still under a red flag warning through Friday night.