“Living with the Fear of Fires”:

The Devastating Impact of Wildfires on Individual and Community Health

Presenter: Paula Negrete

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Debora Paterniti

Department: Sociology

Funding Source/Sponsor: Class Project

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1fcGdLLeaVHrQ23oO10qddJmgKE0QsBl1

Abstract:
I am interested in the topic of medicine, health, and the body in relation to how wildfires affect the overall mental and environmental health of a person and community. To understand how wildfires affect the overall mental and environmental health of a person and community I undertook an intensive interview study of people who have experienced a wildfire in their lives. Interviews with wildfire survivors emphasized the experience of a destructive wildfire. Using grounded theory with intensive interview data related to the lived experience of destructive wildfires, I was able to answer the question “How do wildfires affect the overall mental and environmental health of a person and community?” In my study I explain how the collective recognition of trauma, the disintegration of the community, and the added burden of external services and support intercorrelate with how wildfires impact the health of an individual and their community.