For February’s City Impact Lab, we brought together community leaders who are well-versed in disaster recovery to help illuminate the way forward and take us further on the path to resilience.
Jovanni Tricerri, CEO, RÍA Collaboratories
Jovanni led efforts in Butte County after the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, the 2018 Camp Fire. He brought together the communities impacted by the Camp Fire as part of the North Valley Community Foundation, where he was in charge of organizing and supporting community members to achieve the recovery they wanted to see in their community.
Early on, Jovanni learned to have a bias for collaboration from his mentors when he lived with his wife in Guatemala and witnessed first-hand how they worked together with Indigenous people to navigate the school system, the food system, and the housing system to better serve their neighbors. This is where he learned “how to do that in a way that is inclusive, equitable, and gives people the opportunity to be part of their own recovery.”
“I was finding myself at the table where a lot of the role I would play in community engagement was bringing people together from diverse backgrounds to make meaningful action.”
From his experience, he noted that the most important factor in creating resilience is community—having and maintaining your network. Those with a strong connection to their neighbors and community are more resilient in the face of a disaster, he says, and we have to spend time networking and creating that secure, connected community. It’s also important to build resilience into the recovery process, to prepare for the next disaster whether it’s another fire, an earthquake, or another unprecedented time.
Dr. Peyman Raoofi, Past-President, LA County Psychological Association (LACPA)
As a psychologist who has worked with the Human Rights Council and UNICEF, Peyman has seen the worst of the worst. He’s an honorary ambassador for UNICEF and recognized as a mental health hero by the Chicago School of Psychology.
Peyman has been recognized nationally and international for his work, becoming a leader in mental health advocacy through his work with the UN — for example, the mental health of children who live in disaster and war zones.
“I believe in standing psychology, meaning that a psychologist isn’t just a person that sits in a chair all day long. I believe a psychologist can have a much bigger role in shaping the community and doing the advocacy.”
The advocacy part is important to him because of the impact we can have on legislation in the US, locally in California, and globally, in order to promote mental health. In California, some of his efforts in a task force put together by Mayor Bass resulted in the City Council declaring October 26, 2024 as Mental Health Day in LA.
During these difficult times, Peyman gives us four categories of self-care to combat the stress of dealing with trauma: sleeping well, eating well, moving your body, and having a hobby. He also shared that when disasters hit one of the main factors that impact our mental wellbeing is the lack of control and the uncertainty. Some ways to counteract this feeling and regain a sense of control include talking with a friend or doing anything that helps you feel like you’re making an impact.
Hon. Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, President & CEO, The Center by Lendistry & Long Beach Councilmember
The pandemic was a moment of clarity for Tunua, who realized that she was secure: she owned a home, she had a family and partner, she had a stable job with or without the pandemic, and she was waking up every day thinking of how she could help small businesses and how to create affordable housing in her work. She realized that a lot of other people didn’t have the same security, so she decided to spend all of her time during the pandemic helping others. She helped design the LA Covid Fund, among other efforts to keep people working, connected, and engaged.
Tunua’s aunt and uncle lost their home in the Eaton Fire, which devastated Altadena, a historical and important area for African American families in Los Angeles. She has spent her time since making sure that the people in those affected neighborhoods know that they’re not alone and that they have options, support, and resources to help. If you want to help, she says to get involved with local volunteer groups or research small businesses who are still doing business online and support them with your dollars and time.
“This is an undertaking to me that’s very community-focused. What we’re doing is going block by block and talking to neighbors about their own circumstances. Just being able to have block ‘parties’ or conversations at this point has really supported the social capital of people, especially in Altadena, of people who are trying to rebuild.”
As part of the recovery process, Tunua says that this is the time to think about the things that we know need to happen, and need to happen quickly, even in good times and non-crisis times. “For example, one of the biggest issues we’re going to have with the rebuild is the permitting process and the rebuilding of homes. We already have a housing crisis and we already are too slow at building houses. Because in the moments when we were not having a crisis, we have not figured out how to build housing faster and safely, we are in a whole world of trouble right now. We have to solve those issues in the quiet times because when the disaster hits, it only compounds those matters even further.”
The rebuilding process will take months, but this is the time we as leaders need to be thinking and preparing about the next disaster. As Dr. Lucy Jones, who was in the audience, shared, “What’s coming from climate change, in terms of societal disruption, is going to be worse than a big earthquake. Wildfires are going to be getting worse, but there are lots of things we can do about it. It’s always more effective to prevent than to respond.”
Special thanks to Garry Marshall Theatre for sharing their beautiful theatre with us, and to Priscilla’s Coffee and Hank’s Bagels for a lovely breakfast! We’ll see you again at the next City Impact Lab in March.
