00:08
we're happy to be safe to be safe,
00:19
honestly, it's crazy here in LA.
00:20
A few of us were impacted directly and it's really It's just
00:24
these times are something else.
00:27
Oh yeah, I mean it's tough to check in on people
00:30
and you don't wanna bug,
00:32
it's definitely a lot and at least the one thing I
00:35
think is it's been nice to see so many people come together
00:38
right? So many the community,
00:39
like so many artists and companies coming,
00:43
showing up for, right,
00:44
definitely. Yeah, it's just really nice to see the city
00:48
like come together and I'm hoping,
00:51
the fires get extinguished soon.
00:54
No, yeah, I think they're a little more under control
00:57
sounds like it's a long way to go.
00:58
The winds sick and all,
01:00
but Regardless, please guys stay safe and reach out to your
01:04
loved ones, make sure you guys are ready,
01:06
prepared, all that stuff.
01:08
But this episode is exactly that,
01:10
so we're gonna be focusing on the wildfires here in LA and
01:15
diving deeper into it.
01:16
And some other news,
01:17
so stick around and let's get into it.
01:20
La Fuerza is strong in LA.
01:24
Fuerza Rejida is providing aid to those in need of housing amid
01:29
the devastating wildfires in the Los.
01:31
Los Angeles region. The boys said to our beloved community affected
01:36
we are here for you in this challenging time.
01:38
We rented out a hotel spaces for more than 50 families.
01:40
More will become available for those in need of shelter.
01:43
Please know that we stand with you and we'll continue to support
01:45
throughout this difficult period.
01:48
Yeah. Where they set the bar.
01:53
This is the way you step up.
01:55
This is the way they don't just talk the talk.
01:58
They do. They're about it.
02:01
Yeah, they're about it honestly and I'm like,
02:03
I didn't think I could be more of a fan.
02:05
I'm a bigger fan now.
02:06
Yeah, like they're from LA.
02:07
Right from San Marardino,
02:09
right, so they know the LA area very well,
02:13
it's, it's, you know,
02:14
it feels good. It's,
02:15
it's only right that they kind of,
02:16
you know, show up for their,
02:17
their people and show them some love,
02:22
when disaster strikes, they step up.
02:25
I mean, putin respect the truth.
02:28
As the LA fires have hit the city,
02:29
fake images and fake news have gone viral on social media,
02:32
and it's misleading many.
02:34
Brother, you know the one that got me,
02:36
it was the AI generated pic of the Hollywood sign,
02:39
you know, that engulfed in like flames,
02:41
remember? No, you see that one?
02:43
I was like, my parents,
02:45
like,, my swagger I was sharing.
02:47
it's not real. I was just there.
02:52
I was there like that.
02:54
You're like, I'm like what.
02:56
Yeah, yeah, it was crazy.
02:58
No, yeah, I saw it and then I even see
03:00
people again going to go check on it and they're like,
03:03
guys, no, it's not real.
03:05
But then like in addition to the AI pictures,
03:08
there's also fake news running rampant online,
03:10
obviously it's like, you know,
03:11
the community notes on Twitter or X sorry are probably like going
03:14
over time because there's so much fake news being posted on everywhere
03:17
you know those little notes like let me fact check your ass
03:22
it's good. It's like,
03:22
hey, so this says this,
03:23
but this post actually from.
03:25
30 years ago or this is completely fake or it's definitely much
03:29
needed. So here are the claims that have been debunked.
03:32
So the internet has claimed that Christine Crowley,
03:34
LA's fire chief, was an unqualified DEI hired,
03:37
but she actually has 20 years of experience and scored a top
03:41
0.3% of the firefighter exam.
03:46
passing with flying colors.
03:48
that's wild like she's passionate about this.
03:51
Like she knows what she's doing you know the resume.
03:55
So much qualified for this.
03:58
There's another one. This one went around a lot.
04:01
So Trump said LA wouldn't get federal disaster relief because FEMA is
04:07
out of money. But I was waiting for the.
04:11
President Biden approved a $29 billion funding boost for FEMA.
04:17
Well, another thing in terms of money as well like it's
04:19
actually happening with GoFundMe scams so you know there's families who lost
04:24
everything and start creating fundraisers,
04:26
but scammers are imitating real GoFundMe pages and you know with the
04:30
same pictures and bios.
04:34
make sure just do a couple of extras like sift through.
04:38
are legit or say it's gonna go to.
04:40
This is what they say,
04:41
like these kind of disasters,
04:42
you see the good in people,
04:45
but you also see the worst in people,
04:46
and there are literally people out there that's taking what's going on
04:50
right now as an opportunity to,
04:52
you know, so like you guys be careful out there,
04:58
make sure you do your research before donating to an EcoFunde.
05:01
Yeah, and this I saw this video online.
05:03
They said like before you start sharing.
05:06
Right, like, take a second,
05:08
read the whole post,
05:09
even the caption because sometimes like you know those memes where it's
05:11
like, oh, so and so is like dead.
05:13
what? And you literally keep scrolling.
05:14
It's like there's a parody page or it's like the Instagram handle
05:17
is like not real news.
05:18
It's like just take a,
05:20
take a beat and you know check that and then proceed how
05:24
you want with caution.
05:27
but definitely, definitely if you can donate to GoFundMe,
05:32
just make sure. Mhm.
05:34
So while TikTok is about to get banned,
05:36
people are quickly running to Lemonade and the Chinese app Red Note
05:39
These are new apps that are TikTok's replacement in a way
05:42
and already the top two most downloaded apps this month.
05:45
Damn, dude, I actually got Red Note last night,
05:47
but I like I have to like double check,
05:49
triple check this article that I saw it linking back to because
05:52
it was all in Chinese.
05:52
I'm like, is this the right one?
05:54
I don't want to get a virus or,
05:57
yeah, dude, like I didn't know how to read it
05:59
I'm like. I guess you think Red Note will like
06:04
take off? I know I didn't even open it.
06:08
I was downloading it,
06:08
so we'll see. I mean,
06:09
TikTok might not even shut down,
06:10
but who knows. Well,
06:12
I've heard of Red No but Lemonade,
06:14
what is it? So Lemonade is actually TikTok's sister app and
06:18
it's owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
06:22
So TikTok will be banned,
06:23
but the the. That doesn't exclude lemonade like since it's under
06:26
the same branch. I guess no.
06:29
They just want that app specifically.
06:32
Thank so much for stopping China.
06:33
No, yeah, it's like we're banning TikTok because the Chinese
06:35
app, but it's like in your data has to be protected
06:38
But then then we go running to two other Chinese apps
06:42
it's exactly it's like fine,
06:44
we'll go to this Chinese app.
06:46
You know what gets me though.
06:49
like all these Chinese people are probably like,
06:51
what the all these Americans doing storming in here?
06:55
I don't know, but I've seen a lot of homies online
06:58
that were all Red Note this,
07:00
my guy. How about you download Indeed?
07:03
How about what's the other one?
07:06
get a LinkedIn LinkedIn,
07:08
thank you. I think you're just mad because you didn't become
07:11
famous on TikTok. Let's just be honest,
07:14
and I'm kind of pissed that I didn't come in.
07:15
I didn't come in it during COVID because dude,
07:17
that was a gold rush of like TikTok.
07:21
Yeah, I didn't take it serious.
07:22
Maybe on these new apps you'll have a better chance.
07:25
Maybe Izzy will become an influencer.
07:27
Anyways, will you guys be downloading Red Notes and getting on
07:30
that app, or are you gonna stick it out and see
07:32
what happens to TikTok?
07:34
Whether you are a survivor of the recent fires,
07:37
an Angelino, or an empathetic citizen of the world,
07:40
the recent devastation SoCal has faced has caused and can caused a
07:44
variety of emotions. On a personal level,
07:47
my home is in Altadena,
07:49
my community is Altadina and I'm severely just in pain because.
07:56
My neighbors don't have homes to come back to right now.
07:59
Our community, our special community that is a long time in
08:03
the making, is just grieving intensely right now,
08:08
and it hurts. It's confusing.
08:09
It's angering, it's sad.
08:12
It's feeling gratitude while being guilty of being able to feel that
08:19
It's not knowing what's gonna happen,
08:21
it's. It's thinking today is OK,
08:24
but tomorrow might not be from the Pacific Palisades to Altadino,
08:28
we're all going through such different situations,
08:30
whether we're going back to nothing or we're going back to something
08:36
I'll be honest and vulnerable and say my mental health has
08:39
severely been going, I've been going through it.
08:44
I, the makeup isn't doing makeup anymore.
08:46
Like you can see those bags,
08:48
you can hear it in my voice,
08:52
I'm triggered all the time by the watch app that I love
08:56
that watch app, but I hate it at the same time
08:59
And life isn't normal.
09:01
It's not. It doesn't feel normal.
09:02
And we're humans and we're citizens of Los Angeles and we have
09:06
to carry on and there's a lot of responsibility to just kind
09:10
of pick up and and keep going and moving forward.
09:13
And while there's been a ton of loss all throughout Los Angeles
09:17
what we've seen online and in person is community.
09:22
Whether it's our community being highlighted or our community showing up and
09:27
showing out for what we've gone through,
09:29
it's truly incredible. It's uplifting and it's inspiring.
09:32
And so here to guide us is Adriana Alejandre.
09:36
She is the founder of Latinx Therapy.
09:38
And she's here to answer some key questions about coping with loss
09:42
managing emotions, and really supporting each other through this healing
09:46
process. Hi Ariana Comosas,
09:53
very busy, very tired,
09:54
but grateful to see the community come together during these times.
09:58
What are things that I should or we should and shouldn't say
10:01
to a fire disaster survivor?
10:04
Some of the things that I'm hearing.
10:06
Are at least you survived or at least you're alive,
10:11
right, something to that extent I think that minimizes the fact
10:14
that they worked hard for all these other materialistic things but still
10:19
things that they worked very hard for and they shouldn't be minimized
10:23
or invalidated because they have some sort of sentimental value.
10:27
Hearing about details of the fire can also be harmful for
10:33
did you hear. About so and so did you hear that
10:36
the fire got to this neighborhood or just like updates like that
10:39
I think it's important to ask for consent.
10:41
Do you have capacity to hear the updates on where it's at
10:45
right now? I think consent is very important and I hope
10:49
that folks can also request for that set some boundaries like,
10:53
no, I'm not willing to hear that right now.
10:56
Everything you said seems like it would comfort me and the people
11:00
I know severely impacted.
11:02
One other thing is like telling people be strong,
11:05
no yore. This is a devastating and tragic traumatic event and
11:10
so even if people cry that is still them being strong.
11:13
So I think we just have to eliminate that and then encouraging
11:17
people to cry because that goes hand in hand with that resentment
11:20
Crying is the same thing as a cough,
11:23
as passing gas. It's just something that the body needs to
11:26
release and so I invite people to.
11:29
Eliminate that as well and to allow people to cry.
11:32
What are some reasons that someone might be experiencing survivor's guilt after
11:38
surviving this tragedy and disaster that a lot of us have had
11:42
to go through? Survivors' guilt can come due to various reasons
11:47
perhaps it's because their house is the last one standing in the
11:52
neighborhood on the block,
11:54
perhaps it's because they didn't get physically injured.
11:57
Or it's because their pet survived,
12:00
or didn't get injured as well.
12:02
It could be because they were able to recover more items than
12:06
some of their neighbors were able to.
12:09
there's all sorts of survivors guilt that we're going to
12:13
come about from this incident.
12:15
On a personal level,
12:16
have been feeling a lot of what you've just described.
12:20
What can someone do when,
12:22
when they feel numb or disconnected?
12:25
After experiencing this trauma.
12:27
We're seeing that first weekend,
12:29
first few days in where people are just numb and in shock
12:33
overwhelmed by the amount of resources as well,
12:37
very overstimulated. For some of them,
12:39
they don't know the exact status of their homes because they can't
12:44
for some of them it's that they are just not ready to
12:49
accept any status, any information.
12:52
And so I think we're seeing that kind of numbness for sure
12:56
and then others that are not gonna be prepared to
13:01
maybe because of the stigma,
13:02
be prepared to accept their mental health state and.
13:08
I think in on the other side of things it's gonna be
13:11
people that were not directly impacted people that are watching via social
13:15
media via the news stations,
13:18
whether you're in Los Angeles or outside of the state of California
13:23
people are just feeling disconnected because it's been like
13:26
one thing after another for our immigration community,
13:29
you know, we have the new president taking office in just
13:32
a couple days. So that's another thing that's being added as
13:37
another option for the Latino community is under my organization Latinx Therapy
13:41
we are collecting names of therapists that specialize in trauma work and
13:47
under all sorts of modalities and we have a list ready for
13:50
children and teens, therapy for adults,
13:53
and then where we have a list of Spanish speaking therapists as
13:57
well. So that's also an option and you can contact them
14:03
or we have created a special line if that's too overwhelming and
14:07
you prefer to be matched with the provider,
14:09
we will contact them.
14:11
How can someone support others who were affected by the fire effectively
14:17
when they might be struggling themselves?
14:19
First, we're gonna see a group of people that That are
14:22
able to be on the ground whether it's street cleaning whether it's
14:25
sorting stuff at donation centers handing out things at distribution sites
14:31
but if you don't have energy for that,
14:33
that's OK reserve the energy you have because this is gonna be
14:37
long term and people are gonna be needed later on.
14:40
Whatever you do have just hang on tight until people tell you
14:43
what their needs are and you can even see.
14:46
via GoFundMe what some of those needs are from direct
14:50
families and so the best way that we're hearing from former fire
14:54
house fire survivors to help is by contributing cash in some way
15:00
Arianna, is it normal for someone to feel angry about
15:04
the fire or suspicious of its causes or angry at people right
15:09
now? Just anger like how how can we manage and deal
15:13
with this anger? I know I've seen a lot of that
15:17
Anger is an emotion that is absolutely normal under these circumstances,
15:21
and I encourage people to accept that anger and to channel it
15:26
through advocacy whether it's people that can fill out forms on your
15:30
behalf because it's just too much for you or people that can
15:35
people that could fundraise for a public adjuster for example to advocate
15:39
on your behalf for these insurance companies right?
15:42
maybe because we don't have that education.
15:45
So I think there's different ways that people can channel this anger
15:48
but staying consistent,
15:50
allowing this emotion to help you through and get the answers and
15:56
everything that you need right now and giving yourself permission as well
16:00
to go to therapy so that you could process emotions and learn
16:04
how to cope with it because all of this anger can also
16:07
become resentment and a lot of children,
16:11
youth, teenagers were also.
16:12
Also displaced and it's really important from a very young age that
16:16
they also are given the opportunity to heal to understand their emotions
16:21
especially if they come from homes that stigmatize therapy and or
16:24
mental health because you're gonna you're gonna be seeing these the effect
16:28
of this anger as well in their adulthood and so we wanna
16:31
make sure to prevent any of that as soon as possible.
16:35
Why did you decide to donate your time and your organization and
16:41
And expertise to our Latino community,
16:43
our community, Angelina knows that.
16:46
are going through this disaster.
16:48
Trauma is, is something that I've always been interested in.
16:52
I think it's something that I know personally in various different ways
16:56
Whenever there have been disasters,
16:59
whether they're natural disasters or human made disasters,
17:03
I have gotten involved and so I've set up pro bono lists
17:07
like this for most of the mass shootings,
17:11
Gilroy, the Walmart.
17:12
Incident in El Paso,
17:15
Pulse in Florida my network is national and so I
17:18
felt like it just kind of makes sense because I have the
17:21
reach and I have the training as well.
17:23
I was deployed out for Hurricane Harvey as well through the Red
17:27
Cross and assisted in the shelters out there,
17:29
in 2017 and so I'm using my expertise from that
17:33
and my passion to help my community,
17:36
again because we have access to Spanish speaking therapists.
17:39
And knowing that there's a stigma and barriers to access mental health
17:45
services,, we wanna be able to use the resource
17:49
that we are and help our people.
17:53
what can LA residents do to reach out and try to get
17:57
help? So we will be setting up as well support groups
18:00
for the community and so that list that I mentioned for pro
18:05
bono psychotherapy. Can be found at tiny URL.com/latinosintherapy.
18:13
alternatively, if that's overwhelming,
18:14
they can call 818-239-5974 and so in that line they'll
18:22
be able to reach either myself or someone else assisting and we'll
18:26
help in English and in Spanish.
18:28
To keep up with you on social media,
18:31
where can our audience find you?
18:33
Find me on social media on all platforms Latinx Therapy and then
18:38
if people are outside of Los Angeles and impacted needing a therapist
18:42
for what they're seeing,
18:43
maybe they're getting triggered,
18:45
they could find a therapist using the directory at Latinxtherapy.com.
18:50
Ariana. We really appreciate your time and everything that you're doing
18:54
for our community. I know on a personal level Latinx therapy
18:57
so truly thank you Ariana.
Series