Social effects of Hurricane Katrina

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Hurricane Katrina 2005 Atlantic hurricane season

General Timeline Meteorological history Preparations New Orleans preparedness Impact Economic effects Political effects Criticism of gov't response Social effects Effects by region Effects on Mississippi Effects on New Orleans Levee failures Infrastructure repairs Reconstruction Relief Disaster relief International response Analysis Alternative theories Historical context Media involvement Other wikis Commons: Katrina images Wikinews: Katrina stories Wikisource: Katrina sources

The impact and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina led to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the history of the United States. In addition to the over 1,300 fatalities caused by Katrina over the Southeast, there were thousands of people, and as many animals, who rode out Katrina and were left without clean water, food and shelter. This has lead to many social effects that are complex and yet to be fully determined. Initially, many lives were lost, while many more were disrupted. The event has left hundreds of thousands without access to their homes or jobs, has separated people from their loved ones, and has inflicted both physical and mental distress on those who suffered through the storm and its aftermath.^[1] Unlike economic damage, human suffering is extremely difficult to quantify, but it is clear that Hurricane Katrina has caused more immediate anguish than any other natural disaster to ever hit America.

1 Psychological impact
2 Displacement
3 Health issues
4 Animal issues
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Psychological impact

Many victims have expressed dissatisfaction with the speed and quality of the government's response to the tragedy. This, in addition to the disastrous event itself, has left many victims with a sense of isolation. However, this is contrasted by the generosity of many outside communities welcoming evacuees into their communities, and volunteering to help them find employment. The civil disturbances and violence that took place in New Orleans amid the prevalence of death and destruction of property also suggest an atmosphere of the type with which lasting psychological trauma is usually associated, but it is too soon to know what the long-term psychological effects will be.

In addition, the media has been saturated with apocalyptic-type messages in reference to the hurricane which, in itself, can contribute to the victim's sense of trauma, isolation, and abandonment. One sensitive issue concerned the term for the displaced, 'refugees', which appears five times more frequently in the global media than the more neutral ‘evacuees’.^[2] The somewhat hyperbolic representations of the devastation have served to increase the level of attention and support provided for the victims of this disaster. When compared to the massive and instantaneous loss of life incurred contemporaneously by the recent tsunami in Asia, the relatively slow incursion of the flood waters, and the much larger survival window gave many thousands an opportunity to escape with their lives and families.

[edit] Displacement

Evacuated citizens have spread to all 50 states and many major cities.^[3] Due to this, many people were separated from their family members, including young children separated from their parents and pets. A coordinated effort by the American Red Cross, Microsoft, and the San Diego Supercomputer Center, combined many diverse databases and has been very effective in reconnecting children with their parents.^[4] An effort to catalog, identify, or even to collect remains of the dead is still ongoing as of April, 2006, leaving those who do not know the whereabouts of loved ones to suffer uncertainty and anxiety. Over time both the reconnection and recovery operations have improved, but it will be much time before the majority of bodies are retrieved and people reunited.

While many existing organizations have worked to help those displaced, and some new groups and special efforts have been initiated, the survivors of Hurricane Katrina are still largely unorganized. Survivors have only recently begun to form associations for their own interests in the recovery effort. The largest of these associations is the ACORN Katrina Survivors Association,^[5] led by members of New Orleans ACORN. The group has protested FEMA policies in both Houston, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and claims over 2,000 members.

President George W Bush visiting a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina during his September 5, 2005 visit to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Many evacuees from New Orleans, facing months without income, severely damaged or destroyed homes, and little in the way of recoverable possessions have begun expressing desires to permanently resettle elsewhere.^[6] Possible locations include the areas to which they were evacuated, or with friends or family in other states. This would lead to potentially large demographic effects not only on New Orleans but on the entire country, rivaled only by the Great Migration of African Americans in the first half of the 20th century, and the mass migration of the 1930s as a result of the Dust Bowl. The diaspora of displaced survivors is likely to endure for decades as former citizens of New Orleans resettle in other areas and yet retain strong cultural ties.

Studies have shown that the concentration of poverty is self-perpetuating, thus some postulate that the hurricane may have a small positive impact on future poverty levels.^[7]

Not only were evacuees displaced, but also some National Guard soldiers returning home for their deployment to Iraq were displaced because they were unable to find homes upon their return from deployment.

[edit] Health issues

Aside from the lack of water, food, shelter, and sanitation facilities, there were concerns that the prolonged flooding might lead to an outbreak of health problems for those who remained in the hurricane-affected areas. In addition to dehydration and food poisoning, there was a potential for communicable disease outbreaks of diarrhea and respiratory illness, all related to the growing contamination of food and drinking water supplies in the area.

President Bush declared an emergency for the entire Gulf Coast. Before the hurricane, government health officials prepared to respond, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began sending medical emergency supplies to locations near the worst-hit area within 48 hours after landfall.

Supplies shipped by CDC's Strategic National Stockpile provided pharmaceuticals, technical assistance teams, and treatment capacity for citizens otherwise stranded by the hurricane's catastrophic effect on hospital infrastructure in Louisiana and Mississippi. These supplies served an estimated 30 acute care hospitals south of Interstate Highway 10, and volunteers organized around its, "contingency stations," to become temporary stand-ins for hospitals, warehouses, and distribution facilities damaged by the storm. Alongside strong responses from state and local medical teams, CDC support remained crucial until normal infrastructure support began to return a week and a half later.

Within days after landfall, medical authorities established contingency treatment facilities for over 10,000 people, and plans to treat thousands more were developing. Partnerships with commercial medical suppliers, shipping companies, and support services companies insured that evolving medical needs could be met within days or even hours.

There was concern the chemical plants and refineries in the area could have released pollutants into the floodwaters. People who suffer from allergies or lung disorders, such as asthma, may have health complications due to toxic mold and airborne irritants, leading to what some health officials have dubbed, "Katrina Cough". In Gulfport, Mississippi, several hundred tons of chicken and uncooked shrimp were washed out of their containers at the nearby harbor and could have contaminated the water table. On September 6, it was reported that Escherichia coli (E. coli) had been detected at unsafe levels in the waters that flooded New Orleans. The CDC reported on September 7 that five people had died of bacterial infection from drinking water contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium from the Gulf of Mexico.

Wide outbreaks of severe infectious diseases such as cholera and dysentery were not considered likely because such illnesses are not endemic in the United States.^[8]

[edit] Animal issues

A stray dog abandoned by its owners approaches a rescue worker in New Orleans. Many animals were left by their owners who could not take them to the evacuation shelters.

As with any major disaster, animals are affected as well as human beings. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, approximately 8,000 animals were rescued and brought to temporary shelters set up at the Lamar-Dixon Exposition Center in Gonzales, Louisiana, or the Parker Coliseum at Louisiana State University.^[9]

Helicopter pilots and rescue boat captains had refused to load pets in order to hold more people. Many families in the affected area refused to evacuate without their pets. While some field hospitals allowed pets to enter with their patients, those who were evacuated from the Superdome were not allowed to take their pets with them (see also Snowball).^[10]

Rescue teams were set up in the worst hit regions in response to desperate pleas from pet owners. Horses posed a particular problem, as they are easily stranded and cannot stand in water for long periods of time. Rescue agencies set up shelters and tried to find homes to adopt pets lost by their owners. Rescue centers were becoming overwhelmed in the days immediately following the hurricane. Several online resources were set up to give rescue groups, individuals, and businesses from around the country a centralized venue to publish their offers and requests for helping the animals displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Most of the 10,000 fish at the New Orleans Aquarium of the Americas died because the backup power ran out after four days.^[11] Most of the marine mammals and a large sea turtle survived. The Audubon Zoo lost only three animals out of a total of 1,400 due to good disaster planning and location on high ground.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in conjunction with the Louisiana SPCA and many other groups, had hundreds of staff and volunteers working in Louisiana and Mississippi. As of September 20, 2005, 6,031 animals were rescued and 400 were reunited with their owners.^[12] An estimated 600,000 pets were killed or left without shelter as a result of Hurricane Katrina. ^[13]