Our hearts feel heavy seeing the devastation in Southern California and our thoughts are with those who have lost homes and businesses, those who have had to evacuate and don’t yet know if they have a home to return to, and of course, the firefighters and first responders working on containment.
We know this experience can be especially difficult for children, which is why we offer a Children & Recovery from Wildfires guide, designed to help children and families respond to the psychological impact of wildfires. This is a free resource and we encourage you to download a copy and send it to your family and friends.
Wildfires can also surface a lot of emotions for burn survivors. If you are a survivor, please remember your feelings are valid and it is important to acknowledge them and seek for support when needed. It is okay to talk to someone about it. Our Care Managers are here to support you. We provide both one-on-one peer support and group support. Please reach out to Martha Banks at mbanks@aarbf.org or Michael Knopf at mknopf@aarbf.org and let us know how we can help.
If you are still facing the threat of evacuation, it is not too late to create a “go bag” with the essentials using the 6P’s of Evacuation:
- People & pets
- Papers, phone numbers & important documents
- Prescriptions, vitamins & eyeglasses
- Pictures & irreplaceable memorabilia
- Personal computer, hard drive & disks
- “Plastic” (credit cards, ATM cards) & cash
For additional resources, please download a copy of the Wildfire P.R.E.P.A.R.E. Guide from the AARBF website at: www.aarbf.org/prepare.