Wildfire impacts on education and healthcare: Paradise, California, after the Camp Fire.

Sara Hamideh,Payel Sen,Erica Fischer

doi:10.1007/s11069-021-05057-1

Sara Hamideh, Payel Sen + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-05057-1

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Journal: Natural Hazards	Publication Date: Oct 9, 2021
Citations: 11	License type: NO-CC CODE

Affiliation: Stony Brook University, Oregon State University

Abstract

The 2018 Camp Fire caused significant damages to the education and healthcare systems in the town of Paradise, CA. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative case study about disaster impacts and disparities, interdependencies, and recovery strategies of schools and hospitals in Paradise. Four major themes of findings emerged from the qualitative analysis of interviews with teachers, counselors, and administrators in Paradise education and healthcare systems and extensive archival research. First, complex and long-standing mental health challenges are the dominant impact on the educational system. Second, educational and healthcare impacts are shaped by social vulnerability. Third, educational and healthcare systems play a critical role for recovery of socially vulnerable groups due to the interconnectedness of community components. Fourth, adapting to new communication norms and technologies is effective for supporting educational and community recovery. Several specific recommendations are provided based on the findings for building back more resilient and equitable education and healthcare services.

Highlights

Expansion of wildland–urban interface (WUI) communities in recent decades has increased the wildfire exposure of approximately one-third of US residents who live in these places (Radeloff et al 2018)
Eighty six people died in the Camp Fire, the majority of whom were over the age of 60 and over 11,300 housing units were destroyed (90% of the housing stock) in Paradise (Cal Fire 2019a, b; Governor Newsom’s Strike Force Report 2019)
Four major themes emerged from the analysis: mental health as the dominant impact on the educational system, educational and healthcare impacts shaped by social vulnerability, critical role of educational and healthcare systems for recovery of socially vulnerable groups due to the interconnectedness of community components, and effectiveness of new communication norms and technologies for recovery

Summary

Introduction

Expansion of wildland–urban interface (WUI) communities in recent decades has increased the wildfire exposure of approximately one-third of US residents who live in these places (Radeloff et al 2018). Paradise represents high proportions of residents with some of the key factors of social vulnerability: low-income and poor, elderly and children, and individuals with disability and fragile health (Flanagan et al 2011). According to a 2019 report by the nonprofit Center for Youth Wellness, Butte County reported the highest proportion of ACE in the state of California at 76.5% (A Hidden Crisis 2019). Some of these children either experienced violence, abuse, or neglect, witnessed violence in the home, or had a family member attempt or die by suicide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). In addition to social vulnerabilities, the average age of homes in Paradise is 43 years old, with a significant number of homes built before California adopted the International WUI Code in 2008 (Bestplaces 2021)

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Discussion

Conclusion