“You absolutely need to find community to help process emotions and navigate the recovery. Don't do it alone.”
The After Collective is committed to centering the voices and lived experience of disaster survivors. We partnered with Stanford University to conduct a study with survivors of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires a year after the fires. They generously agreed to share their wisdom.
Disaster
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“Try to ease stress by asking for extensions of everything -- children's grades should be 'paused' in school so they are not stressed out about performance while they are displaced. Every bill should be extended or credited where possible.”
“Keep your receipts, document everything, record phone calls with insurance companies and FEMA, network with other fire survivors, be kind to yourself and take care of yourself, sign up for everything offered - you never know if you will need it.”
“Look for anyone willing to help and take it. Don’t feel too proud. You are going through a horrible time - let someone help you.”
“Get granular. Try to stay in the present moment. Don't look at tomorrow, next week or next month. Look at the next 5 minutes. When you can tolerate that, look at the next 10 minutes. Eventually you will be able to look at tomorrow and then the next week and then the next month. But likely not right…”
“Use your real community and reach out to other humans. Nothing will make you feel better than sharing a meal with others.”