Abstract

Older adults are understood by researchers as both a vulnerable and a resilient population in times of disaster. This qualitative study reports on the self-described impacts of the 2020 Almeda fire on the health and social networks of people 55 years and older who lost their homes in the fire. Mental health issues, unhealthy behaviors, and despair for the loss of housing community emerged as salient within in-depth interviews. The quality, location, and instability of post-fire housing were linked by interviewees to mental health issues. For some, housing and mental health issues were further connected to unhealthy eating, increased smoking, and drinking. Interviewees’ social networks were disrupted by the fire and not bolstered by communitas, or disaster solidarity, due to limited in-person contact during the ongoing COVID pandemic. Disaster recovery efforts must focus on adequate and stable housing for older adult disaster survivors and the development of social bonds and networks.