As devastating wildfires continue to burn on Maui, Hawaii’s second-largest island, I’m worried about many things: When will the fires stop? How will displaced families cope? What will happen to displaced pets? How long will it take to rebuild?
But one thing at the top of my mind—as a parent and former child welfare social worker—how will these fires impact children in Hawaii?
Climate change is not just devastating communities in the short term. It is also straining all our social support networks, including services that support our kids. To solve this problem, we must come together to better support the physical and mental health of our neighbors, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Congress is currently considering the Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act. This bill will provide $36 million to build out mental wellness services for communities hit by extreme weather events, disasters, epidemics, and rising temperatures fueled by the climate crisis.
The Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act is essential for all those who are highly vulnerable when climate disasters strike. This includes all children, and especially those who are struggling with neglect and abuse or physical and mental illness.
For children and adults who are suffering, disasters like the Maui fires can pile on top of pre-existing trauma and other hardships. In Hawaii, families are coping with being displaced from their homes, witnessing a catastrophe, and knowing people who have been injured or killed in the disaster—on top of struggling to pay bills, or managing an illness, or caring for a loved one in need.
For the sake of the children in Hawaii and everywhere else, we must fight for more public health resources in the face of catastrophe.
LEARN MORE
WILDFIRES AND YOUR HEALTH
CLIMATE CHANGE AND MENTAL HEALTH
EXTREME WEATHER AND THE CHANGING CLIMATE
TELL CONGRESS: SUPPORT MENTAL WELLNESS RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITIES HIT BY CLIMATE DISASTER