Research After Disaster: Ethical Considerations from After the January 2025 Los Angeles Fires
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: On January 7 and 8, 2025, the Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed over 16,000 structures in the Los Angeles area and directly killed 30 individuals, with subsequent excess mortality models estimating a true number of fire-related deaths closer to 440 (Jiménez, 2025; Paglino, Raquib and Stokes, 2025; Wall, Steinberg and Shew, 2025). The harm to individuals, homes, and their livelihoods, however, extends further, with studies from alternative disaster situations documenting how traumatic natural disasters can create long-term and spiralling effects for individuals and communities (Cook et al., 2008; Wilson-Genderson, Heid and Pruchno, 2018). Understanding the scope of these post-disaster effects is critical, as it allows for societies to bolster long-term supports in addition to immediate reactions (Ausbrooks, Barrett and Martinez-Cosio, 2009; Kendra and Gregory, 2019; Van Brown, 2020). Academic institutions and researchers investigating and conducting research in the aftermath of such instances typically exercise elevated caution around participant engagement (Browne and Peek, 2014; Hunt et al., 2016; Mezinska et al., 2016; Tansey et al., 2017). This includes offering participants resource sheets following participation, disseminating findings amongst impacted communities, and compensating survivors for their participation (Ausbrooks, Barrett and Martinez-Cosio, 2009; Kendra and Gregory, 2019). Despite existing guidelines and literature, this article puts forward further suggestions for integration with the disaster ethics literature based on perceived research harms caused in the post-fire aftermath.
Source: The Open Review
DOI: 10.47967/tor11sm2w
Author: Zia Saylor
Institution: University of Bristol
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204451177