Cultural and Ecological Impact of Wildfires in California Essay In October of 2017, wildfires ripped through Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties in Califo

Cultural and Ecological Impact of Wildfires in California Essay In October of 2017, wildfires ripped through Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties in California. In Sonoma, one particular fire killed 44 and destroyed thousands of buildings, while causing damage to many others. Included in those buildings were several public schools (Jones, 2018). These fires damaged nearly 12 schools and completely demolished two other schools. (Jones, 2018) As a result, hundreds and students not only lost their homes but their schools as well (Jones, 2018).

Cultural and Ecological Impact

When the fires hit, the immediate priority was the safety of the students, but the weeks following the fires were spent trying to assess and respond to the damage. School leaders were responsible for finding alternative campuses, arranging repairs, and handling claims (Jones, 2018). Furthermore, many students missed weeks of instruction, which resulted in school leaders having to create plans to make up the instructional time. Students’ breaks were canceled, and the school year was extended (Jones, 2018). High school students needed waivers for their college applications due to missing state testing and other requirements normally addressed during the school year (Jones, 2018). Months after, the schools were still dealing with the financial impact. Schools were at risk of losing funding from California due to low attendance rates, and it cost the Sonoma school district $3 million in fire remediation (Leavenworth, 2018).

While the financial and physical burden was already overwhelming, school leaders also had to manage the emotional well-being of their staff and students, who had lost their homes and their schools. School officials reported that students and teachers reported feelings of fear and grief due to all that was lost (Jones, 2018). Many students are not only loosing just their school sites, but many students and families were displaced, losing all of their belongings (Jones, 2018). Families had to double up with other families. When students returned to school, academics were put on hold to support the social-emotional health of the students (Jones, 2017). Several of the first days back to school were focused on providing counseling and social activities to help students reconnect and manage any trauma responses (Jones, 2017). Following the fires, teachers and parents reported a variety of symptoms manifesting in their children and students, including shock, struggles with concentrating, anxiety, fatigue, declines in academic performance (Leavenworth, 2018).

Despite the physical and emotional impact on not only students, families, teachers, but also the communities at large, there have been some positive impacts as well. School officials reported that, though they had disaster plans ready, they were not equipped for these types of fast-moving, unexpected fires (Jones, 2018). As a result, school administrators and other education officials came up with a list of advice for future action. For example, they suggested creating a communication plan that includes texts, web posts, and emails as a way to quickly reach staff and family members during a crisis (Jones, 2018). Furthermore, the school system should be prepared for long-term emotional care following a school disaster because many students may not show signs of trauma right away (Jones, 2018).

Crisis Interventions

The PREPaRE Model is a crisis prevention and intervention model, which focuses on preventing and preparing for psychological trauma, reaffirming physical health and feelings of security, evaluate trauma risk, provide interventions, respond to psychological needs, and examine the effectiveness of the response (James & Gilliland, 2017). Furthermore, this model has a three-tiered response system that ensures that all students affected receive some sort of crisis intervention (James & Gilliland, 2017). Individuals who are identified as severely traumatized will also receive individual psychotherapy (James & Gilliland, 2017). In a crisis, such as the fires in California, many students are impacted, so the crisis response needs to be thorough. It should address the physical needs as well as the social and psychological needs of all students.

Another intervention I would utilize is allowing catharsis. Catharsis means allowing clients to express their thoughts and emotions about an event while providing acceptance (James & Gilliland, 2017). This does not mean allowing the client to become uncontrollably upset or angry. Instead, this is an opportunity for the crisis response worker to normalize the client’s responses (James & Gilliland, 2017). The crisis response worker can identify what the client is feeling and thinking, and then provide other strategies and interventions to manage those responses. Students affected by a wildfire are likely going to have a variety of thoughts and emotions related to not only losing their school but their homes. Allowing some form of catharsis will help them to express their thoughts, emotions, and ask questions if needed. It will also help crisis workers identify students who may need more individualized support.

References

James, R. K., & Gilliland, B. E. (2017). Crisis intervention strategies (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Jones, C. (2018, January 29). Homeless students, destroyed campuses, ‘invisible injuries’: What California schools learned from recent disasters. Retrieved from https://edsource.org/2018/homeless-students-destro…

Jones, C. (2017, October 19). In aftermath of fires, schools brace for newly homeless students https://edsource.org/2017/in-aftermath-of-fires-so…

Leavenworth, S. (2018, April 2). A ‘very difficult year’ – Sonoma schools still recovering from devastating fire. Retrieved from https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article207688414…