So far, 2025 has felt like a barrage of bad news and heartache. Life in L.A. since the fires feels reminiscent of life after the COVID-19 lockdown. An odd feeling of dissociation after experiencing a devastating catastrophe can plague all attempts to get back to business as usual.
It is almost enough to make you forget about the people who cannot move on: the displaced families dealing with an already impossible housing market, the business owners whose livelihoods no longer exist, or L.A.’s already massive unhoused population, whose lives have been upended by so many more people needing the help that they rely on.
The answer, I believe, to all of this — the displaced, the unhoused, the ennui of living in a world waiting for the next natural disaster or political malfeasance — is sustained mutual aid.
The devastation of January’s fires was immeasurable, but the outpouring of care from the community was equally unprecedented. In the first two weeks, I was turned away countless times by organizations with a surplus of volunteers. By week six, the same organizations that turned me away were calling with urgent requests for volunteers. But it makes sense.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes the burnout specific to traumatic events like the fires (coined “disaster fatigue”) in phases: impact phase, heroic phase, honeymoon phase, disillusionment phase and reconstruction phase (or adaptation).
During the first few phases, everyone is mobilized and brought together with a sense of shared responsibility and community — it feels good. Then the reality of the situation sets in, and they are inundated with information and need. Enthusiasm wanes, and as quickly as the volunteers come, they are gone.
But devastation does not stop with the disaster, and neither can we. Ask any organizer who has been doing this for decades, and they will tell you: it’s a relay race-style marathon, not a sprint.
So, pick up a metaphorical hammer. Find what you are good at or what you would love to do for free for others, and do it. That’s it. There is no secret society of good-willed people; it’s just us.
And make sure to pace yourself. It’s a long road ahead, and most of it is not paved. The good news is that we can shape it ourselves, together.
Resources to get involved with local mutual aid efforts in L.A.: @mutualaidla on Instagram, feedthestreets.info, selahnhc.org
This is Amy's bio. Hi! 🙂
- Amy Shank
