After the paradise was destroyed by the camp fire, the survivors treated a trauma: NPR

Six months ago, the deadly camp fire swept through Paradise, Concow and Magalia, small communities located in Butte County, northern California. The fire killed 86 people and destroyed thousands of homes, schools and businesses.

Mental health experts working in schools in Butte County say they face a second wave of trauma among survivors. But there are not enough advisors to help all students, teachers and staff deal with this second wave of trauma.

"We have six schools that have asked for help, and we can not help them," said Roy Applegate, who coordinates recovery trauma treatment services for the county's education office. from Butte. "It's a bit like the rain in the desert in summer: as soon as it falls on the ground, it disappears, we can give our counselors as many hours as necessary, and they are always full. maximum. "

Trauma specialists working in Butte County schools knew that they would begin to see children being heard about six months after the camp's deadly fire, as birthdays are known to encourage survivors to relive their lives. traumatic events.

Different people face different levels of trauma depending on their stability before they appear.

"It depends on whether or not they have met some basic needs: housing, food, daily access to resources," said Dena Kapsalis, director of student services at the Paradise Unified School District.

Finding housing has been particularly difficult. Butte County was already facing a housing crisis before the fire, and now, with nearly 20,000 more people forced to settle in the nearby town of Chico, the situation is s & # 39; 39 is still hardened.

Act as a form of communication

But whatever their situation, all families may notice that their children exhibit unusual behavior.

"We are witnessing many manifestations of trauma," said Kapsalis. "Lots of passing the act, tiredness, inability to concentrate, closing, being unable to nurture relationships with adults or peers."

Even though it may be distressing for parents to see their children struggling, Kapsalis explains that counselors are trying to view this passage as a form of communication. And the fact that children are even in school shows their resilience.

"The gift of being with children, is that they do not usually speculate, so we have the opportunity to have more transparent answers and communication from them", said Kapsalis. "So, they communicate loss, they communicate a need for help, a need for assistance."

Adults are harder

But it is much more difficult for support staff to determine if teachers are coping – many of them were also affected by the November 8 fire.

"With adults, it's a lot harder because they have all kinds of coping systems that often hide what's really going on with them," Kapsalis said.

To better support their teachers, counselors began to move into common spaces, including staff rooms, corridors, and even photocopiers, to encourage conversation and connect them with the services. correspondents.

To fill the need for additional counselors, the Butte County Education Office has called many of its workers to retire to help them. Pamela Beeman had been retired for almost five years when she had received the call. "When I got the call, I said," Oh no, I really do not want to go back to work, "and they said," No, we really need you. " she said, "you can not say no to that."

Beeman is currently working as a fire recovery consultant at Spring Valley School, but she does not know how long she will be able to continue.

"We are just starting," said Beeman. "The road is long and some of the worst symptoms for survivors are beginning to appear, it's really easy to lose heart."