Rebuilding Emotional Strength for Students After the Natural Disasters
Visit the Regrow App →In the wake of natural disasters, homes are not the only things lost. Students are left grappling with anxiety, grief, and emotional displacement. "From The Ash" is our initiative to rekindle hope, restore emotional safety, and foster healing for youth affected by natural disasters.
This project was designed with high school students in disaster-affected areas in mind. By understanding the emotional and psychological needs of adolescents, we created a support system that resonates with their unique experiences and promotes mental health resilience. These impacts are not isolated but connected—each initiative works together to form a holistic emotional support network tailored to youth in crisi
Children process trauma differently at each developmental stage. This project offers differentiated tools—like art therapy for younger kids and journaling prompts for teens—making support more effective
After any natural disaster, students often lose their sense of safety. This program aims to help them regain stability.
Introducing emotional well-being early, especially in group settings, helps normalize talking about mental health and encourages help-seeking behaviors in a vulnerable age group.
Teenagers are in a crucial period of identity formation and cognitive growth. When wildfires displace students from their schools, homes, and communities, the disruption can deeply affect their emotional and psychological development. These are just some of the observed outcomes:
Disasters may shut down schools and force families to relocate which may lead to gaps in learning and stability.
A home often provides a sense of control so without it, teens may feel unstable, exposed, or powerless. Losing a home may also lead teens to lose their sense of security and become hypervigilant
Adolescence is important in developing indpendence and selfidentity, trauma during this time can interrupt that growth.
Teens exposed to disaster environments may operate in survival mode, where their brain prioritizes immediate emotional safety over long-term planning. This often results in a variety of cognitive and emotional challenges that impact academic and social development.
Natural disasters like wildfires can activate a teen’s fight-or-flight response, impairing cognitive development and emotional regulation. These impacts can influence behavior, academic performance, and long-term planning capacity.
The following are common signs of cognitive and emotional strain observed in teens after experiencing trauma:
Natural disasters place teens in high stress and survival bases environments which can trigger a brain’s flight or fight response which can affect the decision-making, reasoning, and planning process which may make it harder to make rational decisions. This presents differently in everyone but common signs of this may be lashing out in anger or making risky decisions such as substance use.
Teens may have a harder time with emotional regulation. Teens may be hypervigilant and fear that danger can return at any moment. This may present in many different ways but common signs include: having panic attacks, obsessive worry (developing the “what if” mindset), get angry more easily, shut down emotionally, or cry more easily.
Trauma interrupts brain functions tied to memory, attention, and executive functions. When a teen is in a state of survival, their brain prioritizes short-term emotional safety over long-term planning and processing. This can create mental fog which makes it harder to perform will in academic and social environments. Teens who experience this may stare at homework or assignments for hours, may stop caring for goals such as college, sports, or extracirriculars, and may experience a drop in grades.
Teens affected by disasters often face a range of psychological challenges, many of which go undiagnosed. From persistent anxiety to feelings of guilt, these emotional responses can become long-term mental health disorders if not addressed early. The following outlines some of the most common mental health effects seen after traumatic events like wildfires:
PTSD, depression, and anxiety may develop in teens as they might feel out of control, or helplessness. These disorders may go undiagnosted and may affect their adulthood.
Survivor’s guilt is when someone feels guilty that they survived a disaster while someone else didn’t. This can lead to feelings of hopelessness, sometimes leading to emotional withdrawal, self-blame, and shame.
With the increased stress of a disaster such as fire and lack of guidance, teens may turn to unhealthy coping mechnisms such as drugs, alcohol or other risky behaviors as a form of escapism.
Trauma endured during adolescence doesn't always end when the flames are extinguished. Without the right interventions, these experiences can leave lasting emotional and psychological scars. Our project aims to raise awareness of these long-term risks and advocate for early support and lifelong resilience. Some of the most serious long-term consequences include:
If trauma is not addressed during teen years, it can lead to lifelong mental health conditions such as Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety disorders, panic disorder, and complex PTSD.
Teens impacted by natural disasters may struggle to control feelings like anger, fear, and sadness. This can lead to sudden outbursts, yelling, throwing things, or storming off. This can make it harder for them to develop relationships in the future.
Trauma can reprogram the brain’s stress response system making the amygdala hyperactive which can increase feelings of fear. This can make it harder to hold down jobs in the future and lead to avoidant behaviors.
It’s important to recognize when a teen is silently struggling. Early signs of mental health issues often appear subtly and can escalate without proper attention and care. Look out for the following indicators:
If you know a student or friend impacted by a disaster, your support can be a turning point. Providing stability, empathy, and access to resources can help them feel seen and supported as they navigate recovery.
If you’re a survivor, your feelings are valid. Healing from trauma takes time, and acknowledging your emotions is the first step toward recovery. Here's how you can support your own journey:
Scan the QR code below to access our surveys and participate in our ongoing evaluation.
Following our intervention, we observed significant gains in emotional awareness and coping strategy knowledge among students. Based on the pre- and post-survey results:
We created an AI-powered support App where teens can share their experiences, explore healthy coping strategies, and begin healing in a judgment-free space. With empathy at the core, the chatbot provides tailored, calming responses to those in distress.
We've observed that many teens are hesitant to reach out for help. While we strongly encourage seeking professional support, we understand that not everyone feels ready to take that step. That's why we developed an AI program designed to offer a safe, judgment-free space where teens can begin opening up about their struggles.
We created this AI-powered website specifically for teens affected by natural disasters who need a safe space to talk and process their experiences. However, this resource is open to anyone seeking a supportive, judgment-free place to share what’s on their mind and find relief from stress.
The user will input a prompt into the chat box, and a backhand AI API specifically trained to handle these responses will provide the user with a thoughtful and tailored response that aims to aid the user in their mental health stuggles.
Support our mission by promoting mental health awareness in schools, encouraging open conversations, and advocating for resources to help youth rebuild emotionally after disaster strikes.
Hollie Tang and Erin Yeh, high school students and aspiring healthcare professionals, created "From The Ash" as part of their HOSA Emotional Well-Being Challenge. Motivated by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires and personal accounts from peers, they sought to address the emotional toll on teens in disaster zones. Hollie, with aspirations in medicine, and Erin, interested in bioengineering and youth development, brought both heart and innovation to the project. They hope this initiative continues to inspire compassion, conversation, and healing in affected communities.