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Health Survey to Assess Physical and Psychological Impacts From Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Print E-mail
Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) and Partners Publishing LLC Join Forces to Give Hurricane Victims a Unified Voice and Provide Statistical Data.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita impacted the health of many individuals: residents, disaster rescue and recovery personnel, remediation and rebuilding specialists—the list goes on and on . . .   Now affected individuals can stand up and have their health concerns counted. Two organizations, Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) and Partners Publishing LLC, have joined forces to launch “The 2008 Nationwide Hurricane Katrina and Rita Health Survey,” a link to the survey is below. The nationwide survey will provide statistical health data on not only Gulf Coast residents but also on evacuees, volunteers, and workers that are scattered across the nation. A Spanish version is also available.

The primary purpose of the survey is to identify the current health status of individuals whose physical and psychological health remains negatively impacted from exposures to flood waters, hurricane sediment, water-damaged buildings, mold, formaldehyde and/or mold in FEMA-provided trailers, mobile homes, or park models, and/or other contaminants incurred during and/or after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and/or from other contaminant-laden post-hurricane housing. The secondary purpose of the survey is to identify the total number of people who have become physically and/or psychologically ill since hurricanes Katrina and Rita to assist in identifying health trends, patterns of illnesses, and geographic clusters of increased levels of illnesses. For this reason, the survey seeks to identify individuals by exposure location, health status, and current residence as well as to assess the level of health-enhancing information desired by affected individuals.

Individuals included in the following groups are asked to complete the health survey:
 
  • Individuals whose physical and/or psychological health has been negatively impacted by exposure to contaminants incurred during and/or after either hurricane Katrina or Rita. This group includes people who were exposed to flood waters, hurricane sediment, water-damaged buildings, mold, formaldehyde and/or mold in FEMA-provided trailers, mobile homes, or park models, and/or other hurricane-related contaminants.
  • Individuals whose physical and/or psychological health has been negatively impacted by living in a FEMA-provided trailer, mobile home, or park model after either hurricane Katrina or Rita.
  • Individuals who were a resident of a Katrina and/or Rita affected area and have experienced negative physical and/or psychological health effects, but have since relocated to an unaffected area.
  • Individuals who volunteered or worked in a Katrina and/or Rita affected area and have experienced negative physical and/or psychological health effects. 
  • Individuals who relocated to a Katrina and/or Rita affected area since either hurricane Katrina or Rita and have developed negative physical and/or psychological health effects.
  • Individuals who have deceased next-of-kin whose deaths were related to any of the above exposures.

The health survey will be available for individuals to complete for an eight-week period, beginning Wednesday, March 12, 2008 and ending Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Results will be compiled by town, parish (county) and state. Results of preliminary data will be announced midway through the survey time period. A full report will be prepared and released at the end.
 
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