Help is available for 85 SLO County residents who survived Vegas shooting

When shots were fired into a large crowd at a music festival in Las Vegas last month, 85 of the people who ran from the chaos were San Luis Obispo County residents, according to FBI statistics provided to the San Luis Obispo County Victim Witness Assistance Center.

That organization is now searching for the local survivors to offer free resources through the 8.5 California Victims Compensation Board to address the impacts of the harrowing experience.

Victim services can reunite people with property that was lost in the crowd, pay for the medical costs of any injuries — including those suffered while trying to flee — and arrange free counseling to help address the long-term emotional effects of trauma such as an inability to sleep, changes in eating habits and fear of crowds.

“The shooting lasted 15 minutes. What we’re hearing from victims is it felt like an hour-and-a-half because you’re trying to get away,” said Beth Raub, assistant director of the local Victim Witness Assistance Center.

“All that anxiety can take awhile to work out of our systems,” Raub said.

So far, the center — part of the District Attorney’s Office — has helped 11 survivors, mostly by providing counseling. Some of them suffered injuries during their escape, including bruising and lacerations.

This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Help is available for 85 SLO County residents who survived Vegas shooting."