hurricane katrina aftermath no crossing state borders

The 125-mile-per-hour winds and storm surge virtually obliterated entire coastal communities in its wake. 3 The hurricane made landfall near Buras, Louisiana, on August 29, 2005, as a strong Category 3 hurricane. Katrina was the deadliest hurricane since 1900-when a hurricane hit Galveston, Texas-and it was the costliest natural disaster on record in the United States. 2 This article reconsiders these myths and facts in relation to the known impact of Hurricane Katrina, with particular emphasis on psychosocial needs and behaviors.

Eight such myths and their factual counterparts were reviewed in a classic report on the public health impact of disasters by de Ville de Goyet 1 and two additional myths were added by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and subsequently listed by Noji. Misconceptions about disasters and their social and health consequences abound, despite considerable research evidence to the contrary. The review suggests that preparedness plans for disasters involving forced mass evacuation and resettlement should place a high priority on keeping families together-and even entire neighborhoods, where possible-so as to preserve the familiar and thereby minimize the adverse effects of separation and major dislocation on mental and physical health. In this article, we reconsider these myths and facts in relation to Hurricane Katrina, with particular emphasis on psychosocial needs and behaviors, based on data gleaned from scientific sources as well as printed and electronic media reports. Eight such myths and their factual counterparts were reviewed in a classic report on the public health impact of disasters by Claude de Ville de Goyet entitled, The Role of WHO in Disaster Management: Relief, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction (Geneva, World Health Organization, 1991), and two additional myths and facts were added by Pan American Health Organization. Misconceptions about disasters and their social and health consequences remain prevalent despite considerable research evidence to the contrary.

Hurricane katrina aftermath no crossing state borders