The Lasting Trauma of the North Bay Fires

Q'ed Up

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1. “It is going back to the place of trauma.”

Aftermath of last years fire in Santa Rosa. (Danielle Bryant)

Last October an explosion jolted Danielle Bryant awake in the middle of the night. She and her husband jumped in their car and fled their Santa Rosa home with only the clothes on their backs.

For the past year, Bryant has struggled with many symptoms of trauma: sleeplessness, nightmares, irritability and loss of appetite. What she is experiencing is common after a life-threatening event.

Listen to learn more about the continued journey for fire victims.

2. What rent control means for the Bay Area

A rent-controlled apartment complex at 3100 College Ave. in Berkeley. (Melati Citrawireja/KQED)

With Proposition 10 on the November ballot the debate over rent control again at the forefront of housing discussions. But what happens if the proposition is passed and the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act is repealed? Well, then the debate might really get started.

This week Guy Marzorati took a deep look into what rent control expansion could mean for local governments, and how this plays into the ever-growing housing issues in the state.

3. Fleeing a wildfire at a tortoises pace

Ken and Kate Hoffman have two 200-pound tortoises — not the easiest creatures to quickly move in a wildfire. This one, named Goliath, likes to have the back of his shell scratched. Tortoises have nerve endings in their shells and can feel a rub or scratch. (Sam Harnett/KQED)

When Ken and Kate Hoffman saw embers from the Carr Fire falling on their yard, they knew it was time to leave. It took them seven hours to pack up their menagerie of animals, which included the two 200-pound tortoises.

Sam Harnett chronicles their struggle to get their animals our of harms way and the motivation behind rescuing tortoises (the couple has over 80 tortoises that they have rescued from across the country).

4.“Wherever you go to these places, you see a chimney and you see a car. Everything else is leveled.”

“These beautiful cars have so much character,” says photographer Scott Maddern. (Courtesy of Scott Maddern)

An exhibit coming to the Peninsula Museum of Art in Burlingame is seeks to highlight wildfire damage and remind people that survivors are still trying to recover. The photos in this show were taken after the North Bay fires struck last Fall, showing charred earth and skeletons of vehicles.

The show is inspired by Bay Area photographer Richard Misrach. In 1991 he took photos of right after the Oakland Firestorm hit, capturing the melted and charred remains of homes in Oakland and Berkeley.

Though the two projects focus on different fires, the themes are the same.

“A lot of these disasters, you know, when they’re over, people forget and they’re on to the next thing,” Hyzen says, adding that wildfires are becoming such a common occurrence in California, it’s easy to lose track of the ones that passed.

Profits from ‘Art out of Ashes’ sales and fundraisers will be going to the Sonoma County Resilience Fund.

5. Fantastic murals and where to find them

(L-R) Jeremy Fish’s Bronze Bunny, Sirron Norris’ Bad Hombre, Fnnch’s Honey Bear

If you’ve spent time in San Francisco you’ll have noticed an array of public art sprinkled throughout the city. This week KQED Pop highlights some of the more prolific artists like Jeremy Fish, Sirron Norris and fnnch.

From otters to the abstract, the city is home to an array of images, some tucked away in alleys, some plastered across the sides of buildings. Check out the story to learn more about the blue teddy bears or giant poppies that make up the backdrop of this city (“treasure maps” to the murals included).