Climate crises are ravaging the nation, causing and amplifying severe health challenges. The Los Angeles County area is amid the most strenuous wildfires to face the state. However, displacement does not discriminate by social class or tax bracket. Celebrities like Jhene Aiko, John Legend, Tina Knowles, and Bozoma “Boz” Saint John have lost their homes. Many others who are not in the public eye have also been displaced, including the residents of Altadena, a community that Black people have lived and loved since the Great Migration.
The resources needed to combat displacement effects are difficult for the average person to obtain. Western North Carolina continues to try to undo the extensive damage from the catastrophic Hurricane Helene, which ravaged communities across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Our Neighborhoods as “Sacrifice Zones”
The Journal of Climate Change and Health reports that “Structural racism has resulted in sacrifice zones, which bear a disproportionate exposure to pollution sources resulting in health inequities” and “Communities of color are experiencing the syndemic of climate change, environmental injustice, and structural racism.”
Altadena has been affected by the Eaton fire, one of several wildfires in the area. This area has been a haven for Black families for generations. White flight in the area presented opportunities for residents who had trouble locating suitable housing due to redlining.
This tragedy has leveled Altadena, 13,690 acres. The flames have decimated businesses, homes, houses of worship, government offices, medical facilities, museums, and community centers. Many Black families are left with limited resources after watching everything they worked and sacrificed for vanish in a matter of hours. Many of these homeowners may have lost fire insurance coverage in recent months.
Some residents attempted to protect their homes by exposing themselves to air pollutants and other potential health risks.
These Climate Crises Bring Health Risks
Black people are particularly vulnerable to the health challenges presented by extreme weather events. A 2022 article published in the Journal of Current Environmental Health Reports stated that “Racially and socioeconomically marginalized communities in the USA have been shown to experience greater impacts from storm and flood events, extreme heat, and infectious diseases that are becoming more frequent due to climate change.”
The Environmental Protection Agency released a report in 2021 that identified that “Black and African American individuals are 40% more likely than non-Black and non-African American individuals to currently live in areas with the highest projected increases in mortality rates due to climate-driven changes in extreme temperatures.”
The Impact on Mental Health
Hurricane Helene claimed the lives of hundreds of people and displaced thousands of others. The United States Census Bureau reported that more than half a million North Carolinians lived under a disaster declaration following Helene’s impact. These crises can affect the quality of one’s mental health.
Losing your home is a legitimate traumatic experience that sticks with you.
Rapper Meek Mill expressed sympathy for those in the Los Angeles area in a post on X. The Philadelphia native also used the platform to reveal his own experience with fire-related trauma. “Prayers to la ???????????????? I never knew about fire trauma until my house caught on fire…. I was smelling fire in my sleep, jumping up for 3 years… I didn’t know that type of trauma existed, so I was just dealing with it as a kid!”
A January 2024 article in Current Opinion in Psychiatry stated that the “Prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder, appear to be higher for displaced peoples.” In 2021, The Journal of Affective Disorders Reports found that “higher exposure to traumatic experiences and increased post-migration stress have been identified as risk factors for mental disorders in forcibly displaced populations.”
Even years later, it can have a lasting effect. Megan Collins, a licensed marriage and family therapist and art therapist in Beverly Hills, California, spoke about what someone experiencing displacement due to a climate crisis might feel. “It is a trauma to instantly lose everything that you have known. That is your sense of stability. That is a core basic human need that comes before everything,” she told Black Health Matters.
Collins is currently offering free therapy sessions to those suffering from the effects of the Los Angeles wildfires.
“When you’re a traumatized person, those traumas are stored in your body,” said Collins. This can show up as being easily triggered in situations where uncertainty is present.
“You might have long-term difficulty with remaining fully present in your life. It may be hard to socialize and have relationships. It may be hard to maintain work,” added Collins. “Trauma can cause you to withdraw and isolate,” she continued. “It really impairs a relationship.”
Forcible displacement interrupts some community-building activities that anchor the average person’s life. There are no dance recitals or parades. Setting up in a new place does not instantly eliminate the hurt of losing one’s home. Collins explained that those enduring the trauma of displacement will still need support once their struggles are no longer a trending topic. “This crisis isn’t solved by simple solutions,” she said. “It’s going to take these people a really hard time, and they’re going to need a lot of support in the long term.”
The Potential Long-Term Health Impact
Climate crises can prevent people from receiving their medication refills. Wildfires can create potential physical health issues. Their impact can aggravate chronic conditions or cause new ones. Those with autoimmune conditions or at high risk of developing them can be heavily impacted by the low air quality they cause.
According to the Journal of Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases, “Long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with [a] higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases, in particular rheumatoid arthritis, CTDs, and IBD,” and “chronic exposure to levels above the threshold for human protection was associated with a 10% higher risk of developing IMIDs.”
The Autoimmune Reviews Journal stated that “smoke has been found to play a pathogenic role in certain autoimmune disease as it may trigger the development of autoantibodies and act on pathogenic mechanism possibly related with an imbalance of the immune system,” and “Not only cigarette smoke but also air pollution has been reported as being responsible for the development of autoimmunity.”
Tropical cyclones and hurricanes can lead to poor health outcomes. “Storm-driven flooding contaminates environmental, recreational, and drinking water sources,” and “extreme weather events have been associated with gastrointestinal illness or specific outbreaks,” according to a 2023 article in the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Climate crises can lead to the spread of vector-borne pathogens, airborne pathogens, and nosocomial infections.
“Extreme precipitation forms standing flood water containing contaminated runoff, sediment, debris, and waste harboring fecal coliforms and enteropathogens. These dangerous conditions are partially caused by inadequately functioning water systems and overflowing septic tanks,” according to the American Society for Microbiology.
Collins noted that there can be situations where a person’s body reacts to the stress of losing their home to a climate crisis. “Our mental health impacts our physical health and vice versa, so you may see people that end up with some type of autoimmune diseases or other physiological symptoms as well,” she said.
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