By Mojgan Sami, contributing writer
As wildfires ravage Southern California, my heart goes out to families who have lost loved ones and beloved communities. My heart also goes out to the first responders and firefighters who are struggling against unpredictable wind patterns and other challenges to keep us safe, even after experiencing devastating losses.
As we mourn, let us remember that the destruction extends beyond physical structures; disasters shatter our feelings of safety and security, and disrupt the very fabric of our communities that we study and serve through Cal State Fullerton’s Department of Public Health and the College of Health and Human Development. The profound grief we experience stems not from the loss of material possessions but from the erosion of shared bonds, collective memories, and the safety of our neighborhoods.
This sorrow underscores a vital truth: Our communities are the anecdote to crises. Our communities must be reimagined beyond physical reconstruction towards communities founded on principles of unity, compassion, and love over material wealth. These intangible assets form the bedrock of resilience and cannot be diminished by disaster. In fact, disaster often compels societies into recognizing the compassionate nature of the human spirit.
Reimagining communities
In the wake of devastation, we have a unique opportunity to reflect collectively and rebuild our communities with intention. What kind of communities do we aspire to rebuild? The fires have laid bare systemic vulnerabilities, inequities, and the perils of valuing possessions over people and our planetary home.
Instead of restoring the status quo, can we envision neighborhoods where connections flourish, children play without fear, and resources are equitably shared? Can we address systemic inequities to address fundamental issues: Ensuring access to healthcare, securing housing, and confronting the escalating threat of climate change?
At Cal State Fullerton, public health students learn to analyze health outcomes of climate change-related disasters, such as wildfires. They analyze four levels of prevention, including primordial prevention, and devise resilience plans. An Instructionally Related Activities grant from the university assists us in teaching students about community organizing and understanding the multidimensional histories of our diverse local neighboring cities including Anaheim, Buena Park, Santa Ana, and Westminster. Together, we are working on the foundations that support resiliency. Our graduates are the future that will strengthen our communities.
A framework of health
The cornerstone of our rebuilding efforts may be focused on the three levels of health: Individual, community and planetary. In the short term, this means providing emergency medical and social services to all those suffering from direct impacts of wildfires. We need financial support to guarantee universal access to healthcare and mental health support for those affected by the fires, regardless of employment or legal status. Survivors require not only physical aid but also emotional support to navigate their trauma.
In the coming months, we will need all sectors to engage in thoughtful, compassionate conversations about rebuilding, financing the post-disaster recovery, ensuring timely insurance and recovery payments while working together to put aside political and identity politics. Now is not the time for political partisanship or shame-blaming communities. Now is the time to come together to chart a path forward, together.
Long-term, we must focus on prevention. Public health principles teach us that addressing the root causes of disease and injury is paramount. Similarly, to mitigate wildfire risks, we must tackle underlying issues: Climate change, unsustainable urban development, and environmental degradation.
Embracing primordial prevention — addressing conditions that give rise to risks — is essential. For California, this means implementing sustainable land management, constructing fire-resistant infrastructure and not building properties in zones at risk of wildfire, flooding, land erosion and other disasters. We need a firm commitment to phasing out fossil fuels and embracing renewable energy sources to combat climate change and the rise of greenhouse gas emissions across our planet.
Commitment to care
Reconstruction must transcend physical structures; it must reflect a dedication to fostering resilient, compassionate and sustainable communities. Imagine neighborhoods with communal green spaces that encourage interaction, homes designed to withstand wildfires away from disaster-prone areas, and emergency systems that ensure equitable access for all residents.
This vision requires a paradigm shift from valuing possessions and individual wealth to valuing relationships, from short-term fixes to long-term solutions, and from individualism to collective well-being. We must shift from blaming individuals for their losses to taking systems to account for the harms against our planet and our health.
Moving forward
The grief we are collectively experiencing is a testament to our deep connections, to one another and our communities. These are the foundations upon which we must rebuild.
As we get ready to rebuild, let us honor our losses by cultivating communities where no one faces adversity alone, where collective care and compassion are paramount, and where our health and our planet’s health are valued as the greatest assets. In this reimagined future, the ashes of these fires may become the fertile ground for a new world.
Mojgan Sami, assistant professor of public health at Cal State Fullerton, is co-chair of the Global Working Group on Planetary Health at the International Union of Health Promotion and Education. She teaches classes on community health, global health and climate change and conducts research on systems and their impact on collective health and well-being.
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