Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T10:58:17.691Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hurricane Maria’s Impact on Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico: Community Needs and Mental Health Assessment Six Months Postimpact

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2018

Isabella M. Ferré ,
Stephanie Negrón ,
James M. Shultz ,
Seth J. Schwartz ,
James P. Kossin  and
Hilda Pantin
Isabella M. Ferré*
Affiliation:
Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
Stephanie Negrón
Affiliation:
Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
James M. Shultz
Affiliation:
Director, Center for Disaster & Extreme Event Preparedness, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
Seth J. Schwartz
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
James P. Kossin
Affiliation:
NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Center for Weather and Climate, Madison, Wisconsin
Hilda Pantin
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Isabella M. Ferré, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Ave #1140, Miami, FL 33136 (e-mail: [email protected]).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives

This pilot study aimed to assess the community needs and population health status for the low-income town of Punta Santiago, situated on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico at the point where Hurricane Maria made landfall on September 20, 2017.

Methods

A cross-sectional, interviewer-administered survey was conducted 6 months after the storm with a representative random sample of 74 households. The survey characterized population demographics and resident needs in relation to storm damage and disruption. The survey also assessed prevalence and symptom severity of major depression, generalized anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Results

Most of Punta Santiago was without electrical power and more than half of households sustained severe damage. Residents reported loss of jobs, decreased productivity, school closures, dependency on aid for basic necessities, increased risk for vector-borne diseases, unrelenting exposure to heat and humidity, and diminished health status. Two-thirds (66.2%) of the respondents had clinically significant symptom elevations for at least 1 of the 3 common mental disorders assessed: major depression, generalized anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder.

Conclusions

Pilot survey results, along with other studies conducted in Punta Santiago, can be used to provide guidance for interventions with this community as well as with other low-income, storm-affected areas. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:18–23)

Keywords

community needs assessmenttropical cycloneclimate driverspsychopathologydepressiongeneralized anxietyPTSD
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 13 , Special Issue 1: Serial Hurricanes , February 2019 , pp. 18 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 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

1. Patch, RJ, Penny, AB, Berg, R. National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Maria (AL152017), 16–30 September 2017. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL152017_Maria.pdf. Published April 10, 2018. Accessed May 20, 2018.Google Scholar
2. Shultz, JM, Galea, S. Preparing for the next Harvey, Irma, or Maria—addressing research gaps. N Engl J Med. 2017;377(19):1804-1806. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1712854.Google Scholar
3. Shultz, JM, Kossin, JP, Shepherd, JM, et al. Risks, health consequences, and response challenges for small-island-based populations: observations from the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2018 Apr 6:1-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2018.28 Google Scholar
4. US Census Bureau. 2010 Census. US Census Bureau; 2010.Google Scholar
5. US Census Bureau. 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. US Census Bureau; 2016.Google Scholar
6. Perreira, K, Peters, R, Lallemand, N, et al. Urban Institute Research Report. Puerto Rico Health Care Infrastructure Assessment Site Visit Report. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/87011/2001050-puerto-rico-health-care-infratructure-assessment-site-visit-report_1.pdf. Published 2017. Accessed September 25, 2018.Google Scholar
7. Kroenke, K, Spitzer, RL, Williams, JB. The PHQ-9. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16(9):606-613. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606 Google Scholar
8. Spitzer, RL, Kroenke, K, Williams, JB, et al. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(10):1092-1097. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092 Google Scholar
9. Weathers, F, Ford, J. Psychometric review of PTSD checklist. In Stamm BH, ed. Measurement of Stress, Trauma, and Adaptation. Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press, 1996:250-251.Google Scholar
10. Ajami, G, Rodriguez, V, Ferré, I, et al. Measuring fecal contamination of fresh water sources in Punta Santiago, PR. Puerto Rico’s Conditions 6 Months Post-Maria: Project LIFT—Creating Sustainable Community Change Symposium. Miami, FL: University of Miami; 2018 May.Google Scholar
11. Colgan, A, Ferré, I, Westbrook, D, et al. Indoor air quality in the aftermath of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s Conditions 6 Months Post-Maria: Project LIFT – Creating Sustainable Community Change Symposium. Miami, FL: University of Miami; 2018 May.Google Scholar
12. Kossin, JP, Hall, T, Knutson, T, et al. Extreme storms. In: Wuebbles DJ, Fahey DW, Hibbard KA, et al. eds. Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume I. Washington, DC: US Global Change Research Program; 2017:257-276. doi: 10.7930/J07S7KXX Google Scholar
13. Tracy, M, Norris, FH, Galea, S. Differences in the determinants of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression after a mass traumatic event. Depress Anxiety. 2011;28(8):666-675. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.20838 Google Scholar
14. Goldman, E, Galea, S. Mental health consequences of disasters. Annu Rev Public Health. 2014;35:169-183.Google Scholar
15. Lajoie, AS, Sprang, G, McKinney, WP. Long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina on the psychological well-being of evacuees. Disasters. 2010;34(4):1031-1044. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2010.01181.x Google Scholar
16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BRFSS Prevalence and Trends Data. https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence/index.html. Accessed July 18, 2018.Google Scholar
17. Milken Institute School of Public Health. George Washington University. Project Report: Ascertainment of the Estimated Excess Mortality From Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The George Washington University, 2018. https://publichealth.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/projects/PRstudy/Acertainment%20of%20the%20Estimated%20Excess%20Mortality%20from%20Hurricane%20Maria%20in%20Puerto%20Rico.pdf. Published 2018. Accessed September 25, 2018.Google Scholar