When Hannah Hedrick was 11 years old, her hometown of Montecito was devastated by the 2018 mudslides and debris flow following the Thomas Fire. 

As her family tried to escape, their car started sinking in the mud and they had to wait in their home with no running water or electricity before the National Guard came to their rescue. 

“Everything that I knew was kind of displaced,” Hedrick said. “I had to go to school at (Santa Barbara) City College in tents, and then every single time it rained we had to evacuate again and go to neighboring schools. I was obviously displaced from my house for a really long time. It was just a very scary time.”

Now 17, the Santa Barbara High School senior is using her experience to help the younger generation devastated by natural disasters. 

In April, Hedrick self published her own children’s book, “Side By Side – Stronger We Stand,” about a group of woodland animals dealing with the emotional fallout of a fire in their coastal town.

The idea came to Hedrick earlier this year while volunteering at a clothing drive for families impacted by the Palisades Fire at All Saints By-the-Sea Parish School.

“I just felt like I needed to do more, and the idea just came to me,” Hedrick said. “I’ve always loved writing, and I love kids.”

The devastation of the Palisades Fire hit close to home for Hedrick, not just because of her own experience but because her great-aunt and cousins lost their home in the blaze. 

The story’s hero is a German shepherd named Tucker, based on Hedrick’s real life furry friend of the same name who passed away earlier this summer. 

 “Side By Side – Stronger We Stand” sees Tucker teaching his animal friends – an owl, a raccoon, and a bunny – about how to cope with the fear and anxiety they had after the fire. 

Hedrick and her new dog Poppy. Hedrick’s book follows a German shepherd named Tucker, based on Hedrick’s real life furry friend of the same name who passed away earlier this summer. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

Hedrick added the coping mechanisms she learned into the book, such as taking deep breaths, writing about your feelings, getting outside, dancing, and leaning on friends. 

Since publishing the children’s book, Hedrick has read the story at Godmothers Bookstore in Summerland, All Saints By-the-Sea Parish School, Montecito Union School, and throughout the Hope Elementary School District in Santa Barbara.

The readings have even given her a chance to connect with families that relocated to the Santa Barbara area after losing their homes in the Los Angeles County fires. 

“Every reading I’ve done I’ve watched kids just open up and practice the strategies and ask to take the book home to share with their family,” Hedrick said. “I can tell that I’m actually making a difference; it’s felt pretty good.”

In May she read the book to a pre-kindergarten class at All Saints By-the-Sea Parish School that at the time had five children who lost their homes in the Palisades Fire. 

“It was kind of sweet to have her read to that class because those children were experiencing something similar to what she experienced,” said School Director Jennifer Tucker.

Tucker was Hedrick’s preschool teacher, so her returning to the school to read the book was a bit of a full-circle moment for everyone. 

“It’s sweet to have former students come visit us anyways, but then to come back at such a young age and read to her former school and her former class, it’s a sweet experience,” Tucker said.

Hedrick said she spent roughly four months working on the book. The book was illustrated by Cheryl Crouthamel, whom Hedrick hired from Upwork, a freelancer hiring website. Hedrick decided to print the book in black and white to save on printing costs and so children can color the pages. 

When Hedrick came home with the idea for the book, her mom, Candy Hedrick, thought it was a great and unique way to help families impacted by disasters. 

“I do think you carry anxiety when you go through a natural disaster, whether you recognize it or not,” Candy Hedrick said. “Learning what to do to help that anxiety is really nice, and it’s just sad that natural disasters are such a part of these kids’ experience.” 

Her advice to parents dealing with the fallout of natural disasters is to talk about it with their children so the process doesn’t feel so lonely. 

“I think that it’s good to talk about it, because it’s easy to get distracted in all the to-do’s after a natural disaster, because there’s such a process of rebuilding,” Hedrick said. “It’s really nice to continue to talk about it so that people don’t feel alone.” 

For Hannah Hedrick, she hopes kids realize that they aren’t alone in their fears and it’s good to talk about what they went through. 

“You’re not alone in what you’re feeling,” Hedrick said. “It’s okay to talk about it, and you will get through it. It will feel better, and you will be able to rebuild.”

 “Side By Side – Stronger We Stand” can be found at Godmothers in Summerland or online.