Wildfire recovery: What victims say they need most

"Understanding the community needs and impacts that arise during and after wildfires is crucial to identifying the timing, extent and types of assistance that are most needed during response and recovery efforts," said Kathryn Conlon, an associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences and senior author of the study.

The data in the new paper is from the WHAT-Now-CA? wildfire study, a survey collected in the aftermath of a series of Northern California wildfires in 2017. These included the Tubbs Fire, which, at the time, was California's most destructive. It burned 5,700 structures and claimed more than 20 lives.

A total of 2,208 households participated in the survey, with 1,461 reporting their greatest needs. Four major areas of need were identified:

• Physical: food, water, shelter, clothing, electricity, internet, gas, money and cell phone service
• Clean air: improved air quality and access to masks and air filters
• Health: access to health care and mental health care
• Information: wildfire status, where to obtain shelter or supplies, the location and well-being of loved ones and insurance paperwork

The survey also identified how needs changed or persisted over time.

• Physical needs were the most frequent of all needs, reported both immediately after the fires and at the time of the survey. Housing and financial needs were the most persistent. One in two households had a physical need immediately after the fires.
• One in six households reported a health need when taking the survey (usually several months after the fires), but not in the immediate aftermath of the fires.
• Over a quarter of the survey respondents reported needing improved air quality, masks and filters immediately after the fires.
• General information about the fires was the most requested need immediately after the fires. However, at the time of the survey, respondents were most interested in information about environmental health.

Open-ended questions allowed researchers to identify trends within the four major areas of need.

For example, with information needs, many respondents appeared confused about the role of different local, state and federal agencies (like FEMA), and the distinction between disaster response versus recovery support, potentially hindering their ability to access help.

Mental health needs identified as 'persistent'

Needs reported for two time periods (during the fire and when taking the survey) were categorized as "persistent."

Mental health needs were the most predominant health-related need at all time points. Of the 177 households reporting health impacts, the majority were related to mental health.

"Wildfire smoke can put people at risk of short-term and long-term health problems. We also know that unaddressed mental health concerns can have a significant impact on a person's health and wellbeing," Conlon said. "Integrating support for mental health and health information should be part of any needs assessments during wildfires."

According to Conlon, interventions like "psychological first aid" may benefit wildfire survivors. The approach dates to the early 2000s when it emerged as a method of psychological intervention with survivors of disasters and extreme events.

Health impacts of urban wildfires are unknown

Other persistent needs after a wildfire may be harder to fill.

"Respondents want to know the health impacts of urban wildfires and whether it is safe to return to the burn areas," Conlon said. "When these fires burn, they are not just burning biomass. They are also burning everything in the home. And we don't know all the health impacts. We still have so much to learn," Conlon said.

Mira Miles is a project policy analyst in the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences and a co-author of the paper. "Wildfire survivors demonstrate resilience and a strong sense of community cohesion, with many participants reporting the desire to support fellow community members in the recovery process," Miles said. "While this is a remarkable social phenomenon, it is important that we strive to meet community needs as best we can following a disaster."

Additional authors include Mitchell Snyder and Irva Hertz-Picciotto from the Department of Public Health Sciences, UC Davis School of Medicine.

Funding was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R21ES029693; P30ES023513).