Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T08:53:35.884Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Health Conditions and Risk Factors of Sheltered Persons Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Joshua R. Vest  and
Adolfo M. Valadez
Joshua R. Vest*
Affiliation:
Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department
Adolfo M. Valadez
Affiliation:
Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department
*
Joshua R. Vest 15 Waller Street RBJ Building, Rm 424 Austin, Texas 78702 USA E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction:

During disasters, public health departments assume the role of maintaining the health of displaced persons. Displaced persons arrive with acute and chronic conditions as well as other risk factors. Descriptions of these conditions may aid future shelter planning efforts.

Methods:

Approximately 4,000 individuals from New Orleans, displaced by Hurricane Katrina, were sheltered in Austin, Texas. A stratified random sample of the population was selected using individual beds as the primary sampling unit. Adults were interviewed about their acute symptoms, chronic diseases, and other risk factors.

Results:

The results indicate a substantial proportion of adults arrived with some symptoms of acute illness (49.8%). A majority of the adults reported living with a chronic condition (59.0%), and the prevalence of some chronic conditions was higher than that of the general population. Also, several factors that could complicate service delivery were prevalent.

Discussion:

Acute illnesses present transmission risks within the shelter. Furthermore, chronic diseases must be managed and may complicate care of acute illnesses. Risks like activity limitation or substance abuse may complicate shelter operations. Defining the potential scope of the illness burden may be used to help public health departments better plan the services they must deliver to displaced populations.

Keywords

chronic illnessdisplaced personshealth needs assessmenthurricaneHurricane Katrinapublic healthrisk factorsshelters
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , April 2006 , pp. 55 - 58
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2006

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

1Thomas, SL, Thomas, SD: Displacement and health. Br Med Bull 2004;69:115–127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Landesman, LY: Public Health Management of Disasters: The Practice Guide. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2001.Google Scholar
3Department of Homeland Security: National Response Plan. Available at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0566.xm. Accessed 17 October 2005.Google Scholar
4Novick, LF, Mays, GP: Public Health Administration: Principles for Population-Based Management. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlette Publishers, 2005.Google Scholar
5Bradt, DA, Drummond, CM: Rapid epidemiological assessment of health status in displaced populations—An evolution toward standardized minimum, essential data sets. Prehosp Disast Med 2002;17:178–185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Guha-Sapir, D: Rapid assessment of health needs in mass emergencies: Review of current concepts and methods. World Health Stat Q 1991;44:171–181.Google Scholar
7National Climatic Data Center: Climate of 2005 Summary of Hurricane Katrina. Available at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/katrina.html. Accessed 20 October 2005.Google Scholar
8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Questionnaire. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004.Google Scholar
9Noji, EK: Disasters: Introduction and State of the Art. Epidemiol Rev 2005;27:3–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Leus, X, Wallace, J, Loretti, A: Internally displaced persons. Prehosp Disast Med 2001;16:116–123.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Abbott, D: Disaster public health considerations. Prehosp Disast Med 2000;15:158–166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Surveillance of shelters after Hurricane Hugo—Puerto Rico. MMWR 1990;39: 41–42, 47.Google Scholar
13Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Morbidity and mortality associated with Hurricane Floyd—North Carolina, September-October 1999. MMWR 2000;49:369–372.Google Scholar
14US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rapid assessment of the needs and health status of older adults after Hurricane Charley—Charlotte, DeSoto, and Hardee Counties, Florida, August 27–31, 2004. MMWR 2004;53:837–840.Google Scholar
15Sareen, H, Shoaf, KI: Impact of the 1994 Northridge earthquake on the utilization and difficulties associated with prescription medications and health aids. Prehosp Disas Med 2000;15:173–180.Google ScholarPubMed
16Gulitz, E, Kurtz, A, Carrington, L: Planning for disasters: Sheltering persons with special health needs. Am J Public Health 1990;80:879–880.Google ScholarPubMed
17Division of Adult and Community Health NCfCDPaHP. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System online prevalence data. Available at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss. Accessed 13 September 2005.Google Scholar
18Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Overview of Findings from the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Available at http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/prevalence.htm. Accessed 14 September 2005.Google Scholar
19United States Census Bureau: American Community Survey. Available at http://www.census.gov//www/index.html. 31 October 2005.Google Scholar