How Jasper’s residents can process grief after wildfire hits community
Global News
About 25,000 people were evacuated before flames entered Jasper townsite late Wednesday, with Parks Canada confirming multiple buildings in the mountain town were impacted.
With the townsite in Jasper National Park evacuated due to a wildfire and many waiting to hear what has happened to their homes, psychologists say there are things people can do to cope and process the “significant” mental health and emotional impacts of the fire.
About 25,000 people were evacuated before flames entered the community late Wednesday, with Parks Canada confirming multiple buildings in the mountain town were impacted and firefighters were combatting structural fires.
Alex Bierman, a University of Calgary sociology professor, told Global News that while people don’t know the status of their homes, a major challenge with these kinds of situations stems from the loss of control.
“What people who are going to be uprooted from their homes will experience likely is a strong sense of powerlessness,” he said.
Experts say this can be accompanied with intrusive thoughts, a sense of reliving the event or emotional numbness, or even in the short term, feelings of anxiety, confusion or disruption of sleep.
Dr. Katy Kamkar, a clinical psychologist in Toronto, says people should not ignore how they are feeling as they look to cope with the stress and grief.
“It’s always helpful to acknowledge our feelings and allowing ourselves to feel and express our emotions,” she said.
Wildfires can disrupt the connections and support networks as well, either through separation or isolation. Bierman notes wildfires often cause a loss of social connection from the network of people you’ve created a bond with.
