People who lived near the wildfires that raged through Southern California this month had to make the difficult choice of what possessions to keep safe from the flames and what to abandon.
They had little time to think about their options because of how quickly the fires were spreading. Some fled for their life, taking nothing at all, while embers soared into the air and the sky above them became orange. Others hurriedly packed a variety of necessities and personal pleasures, such as their children’s favorite stuffed animals and passports.
According to officials, the wildfires have destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures and claimed the lives of at least 29 people. Psychologists agree that losing almost everything one owns causes a special kind of anguish for people whose homes were destroyed.
According to Melissa Brymer, director of terrorism and catastrophe programs at the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress in Los Angeles, some of the things we do are things that help us get through our daily routines, while others are things that have real importance. It can be really frustrating to not have both at the same time.
Five families in the Los Angeles area were interviewed by NBC News about the difficult decisions they had to make in a matter of minutes due to the fires. They kept this away from their houses.