[photo credit: Pasadena Senior Center]
A free online workshop next week aims to address that divide by giving Eaton Fire survivors space to transform their grief into shared remembrance. “Honoring Memories, Healing the Heart” will convene via Zoom on Wednesday, February 18 at 2 p.m., presented by the Foundation for Senior Services through the Pasadena Senior Center.
“This session invites reflection on your life experiences and how honoring personal or familial legacy can be a source of healing, connection, and peace,” according to the event description.
The workshop addresses what mental health professionals term the second phase of disaster — the period that unfolds long after news cameras leave and emergency aid dries up. A Community Foundation Sonoma County case study on wildfire mental health explains that “long after the chaos of a disaster is resolved, the ongoing effects become clear… This phase of the recovery process, when some people are beginning to heal, and others are feeling left behind, has been called a ‘second disaster.’”
For Eaton Fire survivors, that trauma remains raw. In July, marking the fire’s six-month anniversary, Collaborate PASadena published a sober assessment of the damage. “With solemn reflection, we mark the six-month anniversary of the Eaton Fire,” the commentary stated. “Though this is a difficult milestone to honor, we acknowledge the devastation this community has endured and the deep, ongoing trauma that continues to shape daily life. Intergenerational wealth was destroyed. Invaluable members of our community — overwhelmingly Black — were taken from us.”
The fire decimated local businesses, houses of worship and community gathering spaces, erasing physical anchors of community life.
Support networks have emerged to address both practical and emotional needs. The Eaton Fire Survivors Network spotlights the power of community in recovery. “When you’re alone, recovery can feel impossible. With the EFSN, you never have to go it alone.”
The February 18 workshop represents emotional reconstruction focused on preserving memories and honoring legacies that fire cannot destroy. Through storytelling and reflection, participants will share grief, remembrance and connection with others who understand their loss.
Honoring Memories, Healing the Heart will run on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. via Zoom. Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 795-4331 or visit https://www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/lectures-classes/workshops/2223-honoring-memories-healing-the-heart.
