Resources for Rebuilding and Healing After the Fires

Resources for Rebuilding and Healing after the Fires 

My heart is with all those who have lost their homes and businesses, and with everyone impacted in any way by the devastation of the Marshall fire.  I wish you ease, safety, health and peace as you cope.   Take very good care and I hope some of these resources are of benefit as you navigate these challenging times

  • Included in this page are helpful tips and many links for caring for your emotional and practical well-being.  There are links to resources from the county, state and other agencies here to help you begin recovering and rebuilding.  There are also resources for supporting children, tending to your nervous system, and finding counseling.  Finally, there are resources at the bottom of the page for ways to help by donating or volunteering.
  • Content on this page will be updated as new resources or information become available.  Please feel free to check back for the latest support available.
  • Please feel free to share this with anyone you think might be helped by this information.

Tips for Caring For Your Emotional Well-being:

A natural disaster such as a wildfire can profoundly impact mental and emotional well-being.  Individuals may experience shock, mood swings, sleep disturbance, anxiety, irritability and other stress reactions.  When we reach a state of overwhelm, we often can’t make decisions well and navigating day to day responsibilities can feel like too much.  We can’t back our way out of overwhelm – it is important to rest, resource ourselves, and build resiliency.  It can help to simplify where we can, focus on ways to stabilize the nervous system, and to seek support through connection and community.  Here are some things you can do to support yourself and take care of your emotional health in the face of loss and uncertainty:

 

  1. Give yourself time to adjust. Anticipate that this will be a difficult time in your life.  Recovering from a natural disaster is a marathon not a sprint.  Allow yourself to mourn the losses you have experienced.  Be patient with yourself and your healing process as best you can.
  2. Try to do activities you enjoy and maintain daily routines – e.g. get up at the same time, take your morning walk, take your evening bath – this can help provide a sense of normalcy and stability amidst the changing circumstances.
  3. Take care of and move your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep and avoid alcohol and drugs. Even if you are in temporary housing, you can still move – Go for a walk, take a yoga or exercise class online, do jumping jacks, or walk up and down stairs. Exercise helps both your physical and emotional health.
  4. Make time to unwind and remind yourself that strong feelings will fade. Everything is changing right now, and that includes your feelings. Feelings flow through us like waves. It can help to name your feelings when you recognize them (“oh this is fear,” “irritation is here”), to feel them in the body (there’s a knot in my stomach, restlessness, jittery feelings in the limbs), and to notice them change. It can also help to notice where you are not feeling fear (e.g. my feet are not feeling fear) as a way of seeing that even when strong feelings are present, there are also parts of you that are feeling more neutral.
  5. Take frequent breaks from cleanup efforts. – Recovering and rebuilding from the fire is a marathon not a sprint.  Pause to have a snack, to rest or stretch the body, to call a friend.
  6. Stay connected.  We are wired to be social beings. Connecting with others by phone, social media, video platforms, text, email or in person when safe can be helpful. Share your concerns and how you are feeling with a friend or family member.  I will be offering a free 3 session drop-in series that will offer a chance to cultivate connection and offer practical coping skills to support resilience in these early days of shock and recovery.
  7. Challenge yourself to stay in the present. Anxiety is often fueled by future thinking. When you find yourself worrying about something that hasn’t happened, gently bring yourself back to the present moment. Notice the sights, sounds, tastes and other sensory experiences in your immediate moment and name them. You just have to live this moment right here. And often this moment is okay, if not better than okay, even amidst a crisis. Engaging in mindfulness activities is one way to help stay grounded when things feel beyond your control. Sometimes it helps to literally drop your awareness from your thoughts down into the soles of your feet. A walking meditation is often easier and more grounding than a sitting meditation in times of anxiety and stress
  8. Avoid excessive exposure to media coverage. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories. It can be upsetting to hear about the crisis and see images repeatedly. Limit your consumption of news (Do you really need to know what is happening with the COVID crisis right this minute?) to only once per day, especially if you notice yourself becoming distressed by the news.
  9. Get outside in nature – Take a walk, feel the sun shining, get fresh air.  Let nature nurture you.
  10. Separate what is in your control from what is not. There are things you can do, and it’s helpful to focus on those. Make that one phone call you can make to the insurance company. Take your vitamins.
  11. Do what helps you feel a sense of safety. When we feel overwhelmed, we have to come back to a sense of safety before we can reach out and meet life’s challenges. Connecting with a sense of safety will be different for everyone, and it’s important not to compare yourself to others. Maybe for you safety is curling up with a good book and snuggling your cat or dog. Maybe safety is playing video games…or cooking a good meal…making a cup of tea…taking a nap…calling a friend…having a good cry…There is no right way. What do you need? What works for you?
  12. Avoid major life decisions such as switching jobs, making large purchases, or making sudden changes in your relationships. These activities have their own stresses that can exacerbate your current circumstances.
  13. Maintain a sense of hope and positive thinking. Seek out and savor small moments of beauty (clouds in the sky), connection (a walk with a friend), stories of kindness, or humor (reruns of Seinfeld or whatever makes you giggle).
  14. Take care of your loved ones and your neighbors.  In times of loss and crisis when we feel out of control, offering care to others in small ways can bring us a sense of agency and hope.  Offering a warm smile to a neighbor, or calling to check on a friend can make someone’s day and soften the sense of isolation and overwhelm that is common after a disaster.  Reaching out and offering kindness is good for them, and it also nourishes our own hearts, as we experience our common humanity and our innate goodness.  And if you were not directly impacted and are feeling resourced, reach out and offer help.  Here is one of the best articles I’ve seen on  How to Help a Friend  Who Lost Their Home in a Fire.
  15. Take action.  Angeles Arrien said “action ameliorates anxiety.”  If recent events have you feeling overwhelmed or afraid, get involved with organizations working to protect the planet and address the impacts of climate destabilization.  A beginning list can be found here related to helping children take action.
  16. Reach out if you need more support. If you are feeling particularly anxious or if you are struggling with your emotional health, it’s ok to reach out to a mental health professional for support. You don’t have to be alone with your worry and it can be comforting to share what you are experiencing with those trained to help. Please note that many therapists are offering telehealth video sessions so you don’t have to compromise your sense of physical safety while you are attending to your emotional and mental well-being during the ongoing COVID pandemic.  Sessions can also be done by phone.  And if you lost your computer and electronics in the fire or don’t have a confidential space for virtual therapy, there can be options for safe in person therapy as well.  See below for a list of counseling resources, including resources for supporting children through the crisis.

Mental Health Resources to Support Coping:

Crisis Counseling Resources:

We are in this together, and help is always available. If you’re feeling alone and struggling, you can reach out to one of the resources below.

  • Colorado Crisis Services: Can be reached at 1 (844) 493-8255, or text “TALK” to 38255, to speak with a professional counselor about any area where you could use support for yourself or a loved one, from loneliness and isolation, to stress, relationship issues, substance use and other common concerns.
  • JFS Boulder County Crisis Counseling: In response to multiple tragic events over the last year, Jewish Family Service and Community Foundation Boulder County have partnered to offer counseling services to Boulder County residents. The program offers up to $500 towards five individual counseling sessions (a maximum of $100 per session), or up to $875 towards five family counseling sessions (a maximum of $175 per session) and provides a pool of licensed providers from which to choose.
  • I Matter: 3 free mental health sessions for any youth in the state, largely available via telehealth.
  • Mental Health Partners: Call (303) 443-8500. MHP outpatient services open 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 4th
  • Mental Health Colorado – Marshall Fire Resources: An extensive list (in English and en Español) of regional and national resources for mental health and coping, for supporting kids and teens, for firefighters, and related to logistics (FEMA, SBA & Insurance).
  • Our Front Porch:  helps families who are in danger of homelessness and poverty due to a home fire. They provide disaster recovery in the form of emergency housing, disaster case management, trauma recovery services, and housing navigation – in the gap areas where Red Cross, other organizations, and government agencies don’t provide support.
  • National Disaster Helpline: Call (800) 985-5990 Support available at each of the evacuation shelters.
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: at 1-800-273-TALK.  Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • The Crisis Text Line: Connect by texting TALK to 741741.  Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Good Grief Network: a nonprofit organization that brings people together to metabolize collective grief, eco-anxiety, and other heavy emotions that arise in response to daunting planetary crises.

Finding a Therapist or Support Group:

Consider asking trusted others for a referral for a therapist. Friends, coworkers, family members, and physicians may be able to provide you with specific therapist names. Additionally, here are a sampling of websites with search engines to help locate a therapist in the area: These include:

If you have health insurance, they should be able to provide you with a list of providers covered by your plan.

Supporting children: 

Parents are advised to pay close attention to their children’s emotional well-being.  Children may cry more, act out, have some regressive behavior, experience physical symptoms like stomach aches, or show other stress responses, which are normal and usually temporary. Pay attention to your child’s questions and let them know that you are there to listen. Below are some resources to support you in responding to your children with care.

Additional Mental Health Self-care Resources:

Meditation/Mindfulness resources: 

  • Guided meditations for coping with eco-distress and anxiety, and tips for adapting your meditation practice in the midst of a crisis.  Includes a talk given 1.4.2022 to a local meditation community entitled “Home-Finding Refuge Amidst the Rubble,” which offers support for tending to the nervous system in the wake of the fires.
  • Drop-in lunchtime virtual meditation group – with Jean Leonard, Ph.D.  As noted above, coming home to the moment, as well as maintaining a sense of community, are essential supports to our well-being.  Come join me for a weekly guided meditation and optional group sharing each Wednesday, 12-1 pm, MST.  Group offered on a donation basis.  Details about joining can be found here.
  • Free online meditation resources  – a list of free teachings, practices, and other resources being shared online by compassionate teachers and organizations.

Good news/Inspiration:

  • karunavirus.org – Karuna is the Sanskrit word for compassion.  The website builds on what scientists call cognitive reframing and seeks to amplify the voice of our collective compassion by providing good news, uplifting stories and inspiring ideas.

Practical/Logistical Resources:

Local Resources:

  • Boulder Office of Emergency Management: Up to date information on the Marshall and Middle Fork Fires from the county to help you navigate logistics related to disaster response and rebuilding.
  • A specific page has been set up for the Marshall Fire (available in English and Spanish).  The site includes information on the Disaster Assistance Center, safety, returning home after fire, insurance and FEMA Assistance, Utilities, Food assistance, housing, vital records replacement, child care, mental and emotional health, financial matters, and donations and volunteering.  It also has links to city and town fire recovery webpages and links to other helpful community resources.
  • Disaster Assistance Center – The Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) is located at 1755 South Public Road in Lafayette and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week (check for changing hours). This is a one-stop-shop for anyone impacted in any way by the Marshall fire.
  • Link to daily livestream news briefings.
  • Sign up for the Emergency Mass Notification System – Boulder County Sheriff utilizes an emergency notification system that allows residents of the county and all cities within to be notified of emergency situations.
  • Boulder County After the Disaster Guidebook – a comprehensive 34 page booklet created by CSU Extension as a toolkit for communities impacted by wildfire.  This resource provides easy to read practical information on a range of topics essential to recovery including immediate safety, communication, mental health and self-care, returning to your property, insurance, finance, important documents, cleaning and debris management, caring for animals after wildfire, landscape recovery and post-fire flooding. It contains a wealth of resources, helpful links and contact numbers, checklists and suggestions for keeping yourself organized throughout the complex post-fire recovery process.  One of the best resources I’ve stumbled across so far.
  • Google Doc Summarizing local resources – Thorough alphabetized list of local resources, with helpful links and contact information.  Includes information on Disaster Assistance Center, Maps, insurance advice, tax information, free restaurant meals, discounted hotel rooms, childcare, clean up assistance FEMA info, financial assistance, heat and power questions, housing and rentals, lost pets, SBA loans, translation services and many other topics.  It also has helpful links for accessing donations of everything from baby supplies, clothing, eyeglasses, pet supplies, food, hygiene packs, household goods, hearing aids, and many other items.  List frequently updated.

How to Help: 

Donating and Volunteering

  • Colorado Responds:  is the leading resource for individuals giving and agencies seeking help in the face of a disaster. There is an expected need for donations & volunteers soon. As responding agencies begin to take action, more information will become available on what materials and volunteers are needed. Go to their website to sign up to volunteer to help individuals and animals impacted by the Boulder County Fires.  They offer many helpful links related to donating and volunteering as an individual or a business,
  • Donate money to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund through the Community Foundation of Boulder County.  You can also make a donation here. 
  • Complete a form through Boulder Office of Emergency Management to offer donations that may be needed over time.  Boulder County is currently experiencing a high volume of donation offers, which they are currently cataloging and calling on people and businesses as needed. You may be contacted weeks or months after your offer, due to the long recovery period.
  • To offer shelter, it is suggested you register through the Airbnb Open Homes Program which allows people to offer free houses to individuals during times of crisis.

Tips for Being an Emotional Support to Others:

  • How to help a friend who lost their home in a fire – great article written by a woman who lost her home in the 2015 Camp Fire.
  • If you don’t know what to say, consider asking: –“What feels overwhelming today?” -“What is on your mind today?” -“What do you miss or feel angry about today?” -“What are some tasks you need to accomplish today?”
  • When anxiety or other strong emotions (grief, overwhelm, depression, helplessness, hopelessness or despair) persist or interfere with physical, social, or educational functioning, a referral for counseling for an individual or for a child/family is often appropriate to connect with additional support.

 


“Before I could feel grief’s full weight,
love came to meet it, and though love did not
take away the grief, not even a picogram,
it dispersed the grief into its smallest bits,
as if to increase the surface area interface
so now every single atom of grief
is surrounded, is cushioned by love.”

 

– Stanza from the poem, Physics of Grief
by southwest Colorado poet and word woman Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer