Long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina on the psychological well-being of evacuees

Hurricane Katrina of August 2005 forced more than one million people to evacuate the Gulf Coast of the United States. This study examines the psychological health and well-being of a subset of evacuees to determine the prevalence of ongoing mental health problems. Interviews were conducted with 101 adults who evacuated to Louisville, Kentucky, and were living in the state at the one-year anniversary of the event or had recently returned to the Gulf Coast. The psychological health and well-being of respondents was evaluated using several well-validated measures. More than one-half met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder and a majority were suffering from depression and anxiety. The mean quality of life score was 0.6 on a scale from 0-1, suggesting that adaptation and return to pre-hurricane well-being had not occurred 12 months after the storm. The potential for long-term psychological damage exists in this sample of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Results suggest other evacuees may also be at heightened risk.