Meanwhile, we should tell you te death toll is increasing tonigh. In just the past 30 minutes, we've now learned 67 people have been confirmed dead and so many more people are still missing. Entire neighborhoods
have been destroyed, including Lahaina, once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawai. More than 1000 people are still unaccounted for, some likely cat in the fast moving flames. Peope lost everything. Homes, jobs, their cars, some their pets. There's still people missing. I fought wildfires in Californi. I've never seen something ravago fast. As of last night, the Lahina fire was 80% contain. The Pulehu fire to the east is 70% contained, and people who lived in Lahina have been allowed to go back to try and survey the damage. But a curfew is now in effect. And keep in mind, we do know that surviving A wildfire can be traumatic. It changes lives forever. Tonight we are hearing from a survivor of the campfire in paradise who lost everything. ABC10's Roxanne alias shares his story and why experts say don'tt to get help if you are having P. The aftermath left by
the Maui fires is triggering thoughts first.
Steve Coolerton, who survived the campfire in 20, had a tremendous amount of sadns because I remembered
what it was like. I'm running from the flames. I remembered what it was like wI found out that my home
and everything, I owned, all of my possessions, everything, all of the memories, all of the memorabilia,
all that was gone, the former mayor of Paradise sa. It's a sight too familiar for him and other survivors. There was so many people talking about their their nightmares. Mental health experts are callig it the silent toll of the Maui . They say initially survivors will have a feeling of relief, but other thoughts will ensue. In the following days or weeks, that feeling of relief will acty start to change into feelings
of distress, anxiety and maybe anger. In fac, data suggests now that about th% of individuals that were impactd by a wildfire will actually devp symptoms of associated with PTS, Cooletton says. It's hard to plan for this kind of disaster. Our community sending
literature stuff, do what you can to help. The key for any mental health i, but especially PTSD, is early diagnosis and
early intervention, because that will help patients actually deal with the distress that they're feeling. And the sooner that
they get treatment, the more likely it is that they can return to a, you know, a more normal life recovery mighte decades to overcome, but Cooletn recommends reaching out to healh professionals in order
to heal
and be able to carry on. It's not the end of the world, although it seems like you know. So the very first thing was take care of yourself. If you're traumatized, if you got PTSD, you're having nightmares. If you, you know, get, ask for help and free, Spira offers
online tools where you can find resources
and do research on the symptoms of PTSD
and treatment. We have a link on our
website abc10.com.
