'Mommy, what's happening?': Young families left traumatized by LA fires

As deadly flames swept closer and smoke poured into their Los Angeles home, Zahrah Mihm tried to calmly wake her two young children in the middle of the night.

"We gotta go baby. We're going on a fun adventure," she told 4-year-old Ethan in her gentlest voice, scooping up her 18-month-old baby and fleeing their house in Altadena.

The neighborhood would soon be totally razed by the inferno. At least 17 died in this community alone, with more bodies being discovered.

The trauma has been severe for everyone, but is perhaps more acute among evacuated families with young children, many of whom are now desperately seeking diapers, milk formula and clothing.

And then there is the question of how to explain this colossal disaster to children who may sense their parents' panic, even if they do not fully grasp what is happening.

"When we woke up at four in the morning panicking, he was shaking, scared," recalled Mihm.

"I was like, 'Are you cold?' He's like, 'No, mommy, what's happening? Why is there fire?'"

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The Mihms are sheltering at a friend's home after struggling to find a hotel.

Even now, Zahrah is trying to distract her son, describing their visit Monday to a donation center in search of clean bedding and diapers as "a super fun party" packed with people, food and toys.

As his mother -- still wearing the slippers in which she'd fled -- spoke to an AFP reporter, Ethan proudly displayed his new dinosaur pajamas and toy car.

"I'm trying to take this moment out of his mind, and just be like, 'It's all good. Our house got a little owie, we are gonna fix it. It's gonna be fine,'" she said, out of earshot of him.

- 'Traumatized' -

The donation center in nearby Arcadia -- which sprung up organically from one resident's TikTok post asking for supplies, and has drawn hundreds of volunteers -- received so many donations it is turning some away, but baby products remain among the most pressing needs.

"We desperately need diapers," said Kellie Krievs, a 38-year-old communications director who is volunteering at the makeshift operation in the parking lot of the Santa Anita racetrack.

"A lot of people, the first thing they ask for is diapers and baby formula," Krievs told AFP.

Beyond those products, mental health is an urgent concern.

"The kids are not alright," said Chessa Latifi, deputy director of emergency response for NGO Project Hope.

"They're acting differently and they're under stress -- they know that their friends have lost their homes, and they know that their school is closed."

She urged parents to maintain whatever normalcy they can, including setting up playdates with friends.

"Just trying to make sure they understand that their community, whether it be physically or emotionally, is still there for them," she said.

"This entire city has been traumatized, whether your house was burnt down or not," Latifi added.

Parents are being encouraged to maintain whatever normalcy they can, including setting up playdate with friends

Thankfully for the Mihms, their home was only partially burnt.

Neighboring homes on three sides of their property were totally destroyed, as the blaze miraculously swept in an S-shape around them.

But they are still unable to return, with no electricity, powerlines dangling dangerously around the house, and National Guard soldiers sealing off the street.

"We're OK. We're just devastated, that's all," Mihm said.