More than two months after a ferocious wildfire burned his West Maui community to the ground, killing at least 97 people, survivors say the trauma is as real now as the day it sent hundreds of people fleeing for their lives as flames chewed through their neighborhoods and thick, black smoke filled the skies.
Residents say they are haunted by a pervasive anguish. Many have trouble eating, sleeping or getting out of bed, and experience nightmares or flashbacks triggered by noises like the sound of a fire engine or a gust of strong wind. They describe a profound sadness, or heaviness — what Native Hawaiians call “kaumaha.”
The official reopening of West Maui to tourists this month comes amid what local health care professionals and residents describe as an unprecedented mental health crisis as residents spiral into despair and crushing grief, straining an overburdened behavioral health system.
“We have seen a very large increase of individuals needing counseling and needing support for trauma processing,” said John Oliver, who oversees mental health services on Maui for the Hawaii Department of Health. “We expect that number to really grow in the next few months as individuals are able to focus more on their mental health once they are secure in their housing and they feel like their basic needs are met.”
Read more at NBCNews.com.
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