Social effects of Hurricane Katrina

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Hurricane Katrina led to many social effects.

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 relatives, and has inflicted both physical and mental distress on those who suffered through the storm and its aftermath.^[1]

[edit] Psychological impact

Psychological impact from Hurricane Katrina was evaluated in a 2006 study by Harvard Medical School. The lead researcher on this study found that mental illness and suicide had doubled among those people touched by the storm. ^[2] People in the storm area experienced stress at various stages – in decisions to leave or stay before the storm, in the monitoring of the storm as it hit land, in the breaking of the levees, in witnessing death and destruction, in finding home and work drastically changed, and in the rebuilding process.

A 2006–07 study, co-authored by Tulane University and University of Michigan researchers, of people living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck concluded that individuals who lost their homes were five times more likely to have suffered from severe psychological distress a year after the storm than those who didn’t lose their home. According to the researchers, the study was the first to attempt to survey the mental health of a representative sample of the pre-storm population of the city.^[3]

The Tulane/Michigan survey had three main findings.

• African Americans suffered disproportionately more than Caucasians, which may be explained by the fact that flooding was worse for African Americans than for Caucasians.
• If you lost your house, your chances of suffering from mental distress was five times higher than if you didn’t lose your house.
• People age 40–60, the mid-life person who is shouldering most of the responsibility for rebuilding, had nearly three times the chance of suffering mental consequences a year after the storm than our other age groups.

Initially, the media’s apocalyptic-type messages in reference to the hurricane may have contributed to some victims' 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 does the more neutral ‘evacuees’.^[4] 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. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that 1,197,499 homes were left damaged or destroyed by the three storms that occurred in 2005. ^[5] Damage from Katrina alone has been estimated to include 850,791 homes. “[3].” Such figures alone suggest a staggering disruption of lives and many potential long-term psychological problems, as well as the courage required on the part of those who live along the Gulf Coast. In addition, many victims express continuing dissatisfaction with the speed and quality of the government's response to the events. This, in combination with the disastrous event itself, the hardships and deaths particularly among the elderly, and the loss of work by so many people, has left many victims with a sense of isolation.

There are, of course, mitigating factors for those touched by the storm. When compared to the massive and instantaneous loss of life that incurred contemporaneously by the recent tsunami in Asia, the relatively slow incursion of the flood waters gave many thousands an opportunity to escape with their lives and families. The generosity of many outside communities welcoming evacuees, the volunteers who still are assisting in the rebuilding efforts, and the offers from far and wide to find work for misplaced persons also serve as reminders of the extended community in which storm victims live, thus helping them cope with work ahead.

[edit] Displacement

Main article: New Orleans diaspora

Evacuated citizens have spread to all 50 states and many major cities, mostly Houston.^[6] 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.^[7] 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,^[8] 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.^[9] 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.^[10]

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 arrival.

[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.^[11]

[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.^[12]

Most helicopter pilots and rescue boat captains 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.^[13]

One case that attracted national attention was that of Snowball, a small white dog made famous by coverage of an Associated Press reporter, who said, "[W]hen a police officer confiscated a little boy's dog, the child cried until he vomited. 'Snowball, Snowball', he cried."^[14][15] The story of "Snowball" became a centerpiece in fundraising appeals by welfare organizations and various ad-hoc websites were created by people soliciting funds to help locate Snowball and reunite him with the boy.^[16]

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.^[17] 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.^[18] An estimated 600,000 pets were killed or left without shelter as a result of Hurricane Katrina.^[19]

Inspired by the story of Snowball,^[20][21] US Representative Tom Lantos (D-California) introduced the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act to the House of Representatives which would require states seeking FEMA assistance to accommodate pets and service animals in their plans for evacuating residents facing disasters.^[22] The bill passed with an overwhelming majority on May 22, 2006.^[23]

[edit] Baby names

Katrina also had a significant impact on the popularity of the name for babies. According to the Social Security Administration, Katrina which had ranked as the 281st female baby name in 2004, dropped down to 382nd most popular name in 2006. ^[24] This surprised experts in naming trends, as past major hurricanes such as Hurricane Camille in 1969 had typically increased the popularity of a name due to its greater exposure. ^[25]

[edit] See also

• Hurricane Katrina
• Economic effects of Hurricane Katrina
• Political effects of Hurricane Katrina
• Criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Levees.Org (non-profit in New Orleans)
• Katrina on the Web - accounts of New Orleans during and after the storm, breaching of the levees, rebuilding, statistical analysis, and the diaspora of victims
• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/59042/hurricane_katrina_changed_people_in.html - "Hurricane Katrina Changed People in Uncommon and Unknown Ways"