Social and Mental Health Needs Assessment of Katrina Evacuees

Authors

Ann L. Coker, University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonFollow
Jeanne S. Hanks, University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonFollow
Katherine S. Eggleston, University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonFollow
Jan Risser, University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonFollow
P. Grace Tee, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Karen J. Chronister, University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonFollow
Catherine L. Troisi, Houston Department of Health and Human Services
Raouf Arafat, Houston Department of Health and Human Services
Luisa Franzini, University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonFollow

Abstract

Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm on August 29, 2005. Many residents were evacuated to neighboring cities owing to massive destruction. Working with the City of Houston Health Department, researchers conducted a medical and psychological needs assessment of 124 Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Houston shelters from September 4–12, 2005. Among those willing to talk about their experiences, 41% were afraid they would die, 16% saw someone close to them injured or die, 17% saw violence, and 6% directly experienced physical violence. When using a version of the Impact of Stress Experiences scale, the majority of evacuees scored as experiencing moderate (38.6%) to severe (23.9%) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. These data suggest that in addition to challenges in finding loved ones, housing, and jobs, many Katrina survivors have experienced significant psychological trauma that may lead to future PTSD.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2006

Notes/Citation Information

Published in Disaster Management & Response, v. 4, no. 3, p. 88-94.

Dr. Ann Coker had not been a faculty member of the University of Kentucky at the time of publication.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dmr.2006.06.001

Repository Citation

Coker, Ann L.; Hanks, Jeanne S.; Eggleston, Katherine S.; Risser, Jan; Tee, P. Grace; Chronister, Karen J.; Troisi, Catherine L.; Arafat, Raouf; and Franzini, Luisa, "Social and Mental Health Needs Assessment of Katrina Evacuees" (2006). CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles. 216.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/crvaw_facpub/216