Aug. 8 becomes one of those dates in our history that needs no further notation or explanation. The Lahaina fire stands as one of those events that is part of the fabric of our common history as a state.

I can’t get the image of those members of our community fleeing into the ocean. Heads bobbing above water as ash falls around them. Hoping for someone to come and rescue them. Caught between a raging fire and ocean depths. Sky dark and unforgiving.

Without any trigger, these memories surface.

Maui Fires: One Year Later

In a series of stories this week, Civil Beat is reflecting on what’s happened in the year since wildfires swept through Maui and what’s ahead for the island and its people.

Read More

As we approach early August, we should be prepared for what has been termed “the anniversary effect.” Psychologically and emotionally, everyone has been touched by this fire. Some much more profoundly, losing family, homes, livelihood and community. Some as witnesses to the devastation, feeling a responsibility to ease the loss and pain of others.

Because of the psychological significance given to a certain day many survivors are touched once again by the disaster. A brief, but significant later point in time can powerfully evoke and activate the disaster experience.

Disaster anniversaries have been termed “collective remembering.” We have our individual memories, and as importantly our collective memories of the event and of our common reactions.

Anniversaries present the opportunity to acknowledge, normalize and respond to both memories and triggers. We can recognize and remember the losses associated with the disaster as well as stopping to access accomplishments.

Anniversaries can also surface both disillusionment and a level of compassion exhaustion on the part of the community. Coming together in response to a major event can be powerful, but as time goes on, the issues that existed before the event make themselves much more visible. 

The conditions that existed prior to the fire created the moment. Our reactions are not just to the loss that the fire created, but also to the realities, dynamics and issues that were present before the winds and the flames.

In Hawaii, sometimes those issues are related to land and water use and who gets to make decisions around those vital elements of our common life. The accountability of government, inadequate systems of response, the tensions between the local communities and the tourism community. Each of these issues were present before the fire; after the fire they surfaced in starker and more immediate relief.

While anniversaries can help move us forward, they can also mark a moment of reflection about how much farther we must go. It becomes clear that it is not about returning to what was, but moving to what will be.

The legal issues will be fought over in court, but solutions will not be found there. What are the deeper issues we as a community must address to ensure that the painful lessons do not go unheard? That is in the longer term.

More immediately we need to tend to and support each other, especially those most profoundly impacted.

According to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), as the anniversary approaches there can be an increase in the distressing reactions of some survivors. Grief, frustration, anger, avoidance and guilt are not uncommon reactions. You do not even have to have a direct experience of the event. Even indirect exposure can trigger emotional and cognitive reactions to the anniversary.

Look to your own memories and reactions. How did you cope? What did you experience? So much of the post-event trauma response is to reassure all of us with the mantra: “What you are having is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.”

In fact, there is movement within the field to drop the “Disorder” in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is not a disorder — it is a normal reaction that we do not need to pathologize.

Talk to others without fear of being seen as weak or damaged. Acknowledge both accomplishments and frustrations. Simply give yourself permission to be where you are in this moment. 

We are a community of kindness and compassion. Continue to accept and extend kindness.

Studies from SAMSHA show that children and youth can be particularly susceptible to anniversary reactions. Kids are still trying to make sense around what happened. They, in many ways, can express the unexpressed emotions of the family and sometimes feel responsible for them.

Allow children to experience the anniversary in their own way. Be honest with kids about adult reactions and concerns. Allow them the opportunities to make positive differences in their lives and communities. Model calm behavior, maintain routine and limit media exposure. Connecting with other families and children can be a great support as well as pointing out new growth.

Who has not been changed by the fire? If you had an ounce of compassion, you felt the loss of life, homes and livelihood. We held those we loved a little more tightly. We took less for granted. We understood how vulnerable we all are and how easily this can be gone.

On this anniversary, may we embrace all that we have learned and strive to do what is needed not to let this profound loss be in vain.

Civil Beat’s community health coverage is supported by the Cooke Foundation, Atherton Family Foundation and Papa Ola Lokahi.