Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T04:27:08.215Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Disaster-Related Shelter Surveillance During the Hurricane Harvey Response – Texas 2017

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2019

Amy Helene Schnall ,
Arianna Hanchey ,
Nicole Nakata ,
Alice Wang ,
Zuha Jeddy ,
Herminia Alva ,
Christina Tan ,
Tegan Boehmer ,
Tesfaye Bayleyegn  and
Mary Casey-Lockyer
Amy Helene Schnall
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Arianna Hanchey*
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Nicole Nakata
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Management, City and County of Honolulu, HI
Alice Wang
Affiliation:
Center for Global Health (CGH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Zuha Jeddy
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Herminia Alva
Affiliation:
Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, TX
Christina Tan
Affiliation:
New Jersey Department of Health, Trenton, NJ
Tegan Boehmer
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Tesfaye Bayleyegn
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Mary Casey-Lockyer
Affiliation:
American Red Cross National Headquarters, Washington, DC
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Arianna Hanchey, 4770 Buford Highway MS F60, Chamblee GA 30341 (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives:

Hurricane Harvey left a path of destruction in its wake, resulting in over 100 deaths and damaging critical infrastructure. During a disaster, public health surveillance is necessary to track emerging illnesses and injuries, identify at-risk populations, and assess the effectiveness of response efforts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Red Cross collaborate on shelter surveillance to monitor the health of the sheltered population and help guide response efforts.

Methods:

We analyzed data collected from 24 Red Cross shelters between August 25, 2017, and September 14, 2017. We described the aggregate morbidity data collected during Harvey compared with previous hurricanes (Gustav, Ike, and Sandy).

Results:

Over one-third (38%) of reasons for visit were for health care maintenance; 33% for acute illnesses, which includes respiratory conditions, gastrointestinal symptoms, and pain; 19% for exacerbation of chronic disease; 7% for mental health; and 4% for injury. The Red Cross treated 41% of clients within the shelters; however, reporting of disposition was often missed. These results are comparable to previous hurricanes.

Conclusion:

The capacity of Red Cross shelter staff to address the acute health needs of shelter residents is a critical resource for local public health agencies overwhelmed by the disaster. However, there remains room for improvement because reporting remained inconsistent.

Keywords

American Red CrossdisasterHurricane Harveymorbiditysheltersurveillance
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 49 - 55
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

NWS National Hurricane Center. Monthly tropical weather summary. Published December 1, 2017. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWSAT/2017/TWSAT.201712011244.txt. Accessed May 7, 2018.Google Scholar
No major U.S. hurricane landfalls in nine years: Luck? – 2015. Published August 7, 2017. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/no-major-us-hurricane-landfalls-in-nine-years-luck. Accessed May 7, 2018.Google Scholar
Holmes, F. We looked into the effects of Hurricane Harvey and here’s what we found. Published September 5, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2017/09/05/we-looked-into-the-effects-of-hurricane-harvey-and-heres-what-we-found/#b6bf28576f13. Accessed May 7, 2018.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health preparedness capabilities: national standards for state and local planning. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2011.Google Scholar
Hurricane Harvey relief information. Published September 5, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2017/09/05/we-looked-into-the-effects-of-hurricane-harvey-and-heres-what-we-found/#b6bf28576f13. Accessed May 7, 2018.Google Scholar
Noe, RS, Schnall, AH, Wolkin, AF, et al.Disaster-related injuries and illnesses treated by American Red Cross disaster health services during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. South Med J. 2013;106(1):102.10.1097/SMJ.0b013e31827c9e1fCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saulnier, DD, Ribacke, KB, von Schreeb, J.No calm after the storm: a systematic review of human health following flood and storm disasters. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(5):1–12.10.1017/S1049023X17006574CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schnall, AH, Wolkin, AF, Noe, R, et al.Evaluation of a standardized morbidity surveillance form for use during disasters caused by natural hazards. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011;26(2):90–98.10.1017/S1049023X11000112CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Galea, S, Brewin, CR, Gruber, M, et al.Exposure to hurricane-related stressors and mental illness after Hurricane Katrina. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007;64(12):1427–1434.10.1001/archpsyc.64.12.1427CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schreiber, MD, Yin, R, Omaish, M, et al.Snapshot from superstorm Sandy: American Red Cross mental health risk surveillance in lower New York state. Ann Emerg Med. 2014;64(1):59–65.10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.11.009CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shultz, JM, Galea, S.Mitigating the mental and physical health consequences of Hurricane Harvey. JAMA. 2017;318(15):1437–1438.10.1001/jama.2017.14618CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Response and recovery needs of communities affected by flooding– West Virginia, August 2016. Unpublished report.Google Scholar
Ridpath, AD, Bregman, B, Jones, L, et al.Challenges to implementing communicable disease surveillance in New York City evacuation shelters after Hurricane Sandy, November 2012. Public Health Reports. 2015;130(1):48–53.10.1177/003335491513000106CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shumate, AM, et al.Effectiveness of using cellular phones to transmit real-time shelter morbidity surveillance data after Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey, October to November 2012. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2016;10(3):525–528.10.1017/dmp.2015.164CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed