Dear Supervisor Sheila Kuehl,
I have been a resident of Malibu since 2007. I am an evacuee of the Woosley Fires and I am a trauma expert.
I write to you as a Fellow for the International Society for The Study of Trauma and Dissociation. The title of Fellow was awarded in recognition of my research, publications and presentations on the topic, and related topics, of trauma. I have worked with victims—of all forms of trauma—for over 30 years.
I also write to you as the widow of Dr. Randy Tufts, the co-discoverer of Kartchner Caverns Arizona State Park, and I continue to carry his torch, with regard to human and environmental protection and safety.
I am not opposed to camping.
What compels me to protest your efforts to amend ESHA in order to allow more camping access in the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Topanga, Pacific Palisades and beyond—is a concern for fire safety. I am not alone. Too many camp fires have started forest fires.
Malibu, where I live, is still devastated by the Woosley Fire.
I have offered two free healing workshops for the Woosley Fire victims and in my professional opinion fire survivors are still hurting and vulnerable.
This spring, I asked workshop participants to bring items found in the ash of their homes to use for art making. Even I was not prepared for how little was left . . . the tiny shards of melted glass, twisted and charred pieces of silverware and shattered pottery brought in small bags, which represented the whole of a life, a family—or even several generations.
People’s homes were not just damaged, they were destroyed. By destruction, I am not referring only to the loss of belongings, but also the loss of home, a sense of place, and a sense of safety.
It is normal for people to have extended post traumatic responses to life threatening events, even if that person was only a witness. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue are two terms commonly used for therapists who listen to trauma. These terms may be applicable to the whole of our community after Woosley Fire, as we listen and share the grief of our family members and friends who have lost everything.
The biological and protective functions of traumatic shock, along with the also protective cascade of stress hormones, wane or burn out—quickly or slowly—over time. Recovery from trauma can be like an undulating wave. It is not uncommon, even after the acute traumatic responses have been resolved (for me it was the smell of smoke), for there to be a resurgence of periods of despair, depression, heightened anxiety, grief, mourning and PTSD. These uninvited and painful guests may arrive unexpectedly weeks, months or even years later. Adding risk to our neighborhood, without adequate governmental services to protect us, triggers implicit trauma.
Dr. Ericha Scot