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The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is an ecologically and economically important species that provides invaluable services for coastal communities. The oyster industry has a long history and tradition in the U.S. Gulf Coast states, but this fishery has declined dramatically in recent years following Hurricane Katrina, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and freshwater flooding events. Mississippi was once known as the 'seafood capital of the world,' but no commercial harvest from Mississippi oyster reefs has occurred since the 2018-2019 season. A review of the Mississippi oyster fishery was conducted to characterize historical conditions relative to a sustainable resource in this region, and how the oyster resource has changed over time due to environmental factors and nonbiological events. Since state management of the oyster fishery began in 1902, oyster landings have fluctuated dramatically over time due to complex interactions between man-made and natural disasters, variability in salinity regimes, and alterations in management authority and approaches. Prior to 2010, Mississippi oyster populations eventually recovered from mass mortality events due to improved environmental conditions coupled with large cultch planting efforts. Significant resources have been invested to restore wild oyster populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico, but these efforts have faced many obstacles, and the baseline to assess restoration progress is not well defined. Present-day challenges hindering oyster recovery efforts in Mississippi were also examined to improve understanding of key abiotic and biotic factors that influence oyster reef health and resilience. At present, adult populations are severely diminished and appear to be more recruitment-limited than during previous historical collapses. Climate change-related precipitation events in the past decade have altered water quality in the Mississippi Sound and have further hampered critical early life history recruitment processes, as well as overall reef resilience. Successful restoration and persistence of sustainable oyster reefs in Mississippi under current and future conditions will require substantial investment in management practices that provide suitable substrate for larval settlement, as well as enhancement of existing stock to promote increased larval supply. KEY WORDS: oyster fishery, management history, Crassostrea virginica. restoration, environmental disturbances, anthropogenic stressors, overfishing, INTRODUCTION The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) was one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States, but by the early 1900s, many natural oyster reefs were depleted or disappeared [...]

I explore the hypothesis that Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 raised perceived background risks, which had spillover effects on behavioral health outcomes of mental health and substance use. I estimate the effect that Katrina had in the nondamaged storm surge region, in time intervals leading up to and after the hurricane, compared to areas impervious to hurricanes. I find causal evidence that Katrina increased poor mental health days by 18.8% for the first month after Katrina, and increased smoking among lifetime smokers until 2007. Effects were larger in counties with disproportionate risk to storm surge and for low-educated individuals. (JEL D81, 112, Q54), I. INTRODUCTION Due to its uniqueness, Hurricane Katrina (hereafter referred to as 'Katrina') likely increased perceived background risk for individuals residing in areas with actual risk to future hurricanes, even [...]

Objectives To examine how the recovery following Hurricane Katrina affected pregnancy outcomes. Methods 308 New Orleans area pregnant women were interviewed 5-7 years after Hurricane Katrina about their exposure to the disaster (danger, damage, and injury); current disruption; and perceptions of recovery. Birthweight, gestational age, birth length, and head circumference were examined in linear models, and low birthweight ( Results Associations were found between experiencing damage during Katrina and birthweight (adjusted beta for high exposure = -158 g) and between injury and gestational age (adjusted beta = -0.5 days). Of the indicators of recovery experience, most consistently associated with worsened birth outcomes was worry that another hurricane would hit the region (adjusted beta for birthweight: -112 g, p = 0.08; gestational age: -3.2 days, p = 0.02; birth length: -0.65 cm, p = 0.06). Conclusions Natural disaster may have long-term effects on pregnancy outcomes. Alternately, women who are most vulnerable to disaster may be also vulnerable to poor pregnancy outcome. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10995-015-1772-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users., Author(s): Emily W. Harville[sup.1] , Gloria Giarratano[sup.2] , Jane Savage[sup.2] [sup.3] , Veronica Barcelona de Mendoza[sup.1] [sup.2] , TrezMarie Zotkiewicz[sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of [...]

Recent longitudinal studies in the aftermath of natural disasters have shown that resilience, defined as a trajectory of consistently low symptoms, is the modal experience, although other trajectories representing adverse responses, including chronic or delayed symptom elevations, occur in a substantial minority of survivors. Although these studies have provided insight into the prototypical patterns of postdisaster mental health, the factors that account for these patterns remain unclear. In the current analysis, we aimed to fill this gap through a mixed-methods study of female participants in the Resilience in Survivors of Katrina (RISK) study. Latent class growth analysis identified six trajectories of psychological distress in the quantitative sample (n = 386). Qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 54 participants identified predisaster, disaster-related and postdisaster experiences that could account for the trends in the quantitative data. In particular, preexisting and gains in psychosocial resources (e.g., emotion regulation, religiosity) and positive postdisaster impacts (e.g., greater neighborhood satisfaction, improved employment opportunities) were found to underlie resilience and other positive mental health outcomes. Conversely, experiences of childhood trauma, and pre and postdisaster stressors (e.g., difficulties in intimate partner relationships) were common among participants in trajectories representing adverse psychological responses. Illustrative case studies that exemplify each trajectory are presented. The results demonstrate the utility of mixed-methods analysis to provide a richer picture of processes underlying postdisaster mental health., Author(s): Sarah R. Lowe [sup.1] , Jean E. Rhodes [sup.2] , Mary C. Waters [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West [...]

Human alterations of the environment may interact with natural disturbances to alter the characteristics of biological communities in unexpected ways. I studied vegetation plots in a leveed bottomland hardwood forest at Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge near New Orleans, LA to determine how Hurricane. Katrina affected the woody plant community and the distribution of the invasive Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera). The storm killed approximately 68% of all trees in both overstory and understory and reduced basal area proportionately. Nearly all mortality was due to storm surge flooding, which was trapped for up to 3 wk by levees surrounding the refuge. Mortality was far greater than observed in other recent Gulf hurricanes and was three times higher than in similar forests in the nearby Pearl River basin that were struck by the highest winds from Hurricane Katrina. Flood mortality resulted in reduced community diversity and increased the dominance of the introduced T. sebifera after the storm at the expense of less flood-tolerant native species. The plant community appears likely to shift from a canopy dominated by native species to one dominated by Chinese tallow. This shift appears to be largely an unintended consequence of levee construction, which prevented storm surge from rapidly draining after the hurricane passed. The results suggest that widespread floodplain development may interact with future hurricanes to produce abrupt shifts in plant community composition and function in coastal habitats throughout the southeastern United States., INTRODUCTION Gulf coastal hardwood forests frequently experience disturbance from tropical storms but rarely experience lasting damage due to their long history of coevolution with storms (Conner et al., 1989). Unaltered [...]

This study sought to establish the prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization in the 6 months before and after Hurricane Katrina. Participants were 445 married or cohabiting persons who were living in the 23 southernmost counties of Mississippi at the time of Hurricane Katrina. Data for this study were collected as part of a larger, population-based, representative study. The percentage of women reporting psychological victimization increased from 33.6% prior to Hurricane Katrina to 45.2% following Hurricane Katrina (p < .001). The percentage of men reporting psychological victimization increased from 36.7% to 43.1% (p = .01). Reports of physical victimization increased from 4.2% to 8.3% for women (p = .01) but were unchanged for men. Significant predictors of post-Katrina victimization included pre-Katrina victimization, age, educational attainment, marital status, and hurricane-related stressors. Reports of IPV were associated with greater risk of post-Katrina depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Data from the first population-based study to document IPV following a large-scale natural disaster suggest that IPV may be an important but often overlooked public health concern following disasters. Keywords: intimate partner violence; disasters; posttraumatic stress disorder; depression DOI: 10.1891/0886-6708.25.5.588

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-682X.2010.00345.x Byline: J. Steven Picou (1), Kenneth Hudson (2) Abstract: Katrina was the most devastating and deadliest hurricane in recent U.S. history. The storm was particularly destructive for residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast where sustained winds of 135 mph and a storm surge of 32 feet literally obliterated the built and modified environments. Limited research exists on the chronic (32 months) mental health impacts of survivors in this geographical area. Random-digit dialing telephone surveys were administered in Harrison and Hancock counties (Mississippi) in April and May 2008 and data were collected on a number of mental health outcomes. The results of the calculation of Oridinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models revealed that females, African Americans, and less-educated residents manifested the most severe mental health impacts. Most important, consistent findings for depression and Katrina-related psychological stress indicate that residents who were separated from family members, had maximum residential damage, and suffered severe financial problems remained significantly impacted 32 months after Katrina's landfall. A secondary stressor, in the form of having applications to the Mississippi State Grant Program denied or not processed also predicted personal depression. The implications of these findings are discussed. Author Affiliation: (1)University of South Alabama (2)University of South Alabama

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how mental health professionals and African American pastors and their churches could collaborate to overcome minority disaster mental health disparities. Forty-one African American pastors of churches located in south Mississippi, in counties directly affected by Hurricane Katrina, participated in semi-structured interviews approximately l year after the storm. The majority of participants reported being interested in collaborating with mental health professionals to: (a) develop educational and outreach opportunities, (b) lead assessment procedures, (c) offer consultation activities, (d) provide clinically focused services, and (e) utilize spiritual resources and support. Participants provided further insight into how these collaborative activities could be modified to meet post-disaster needs and offered novel applications. Following from these discussions, the article provides a number of recommendations that can be used to aid in the development of disaster collaborative activities between African American pastors and churches and mental health professionals to serve minority communities while also decreasing disparities. Keywords: Hurricane Katrina, African Americans, church, collaboration, clergy DOI: 10.1037/a0018116

Hurricane Katrina had a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of Louisiana and Mississippi families. Housing was destroyed, jobs were lost, and family members were separated, sometimes in different states and without communication. Postdisaster stress reactions were common, with vulnerable individuals most affected. Mental health services were not adequate to meet immediate needs, and postdisaster mental health issues often emerge over time. This article describes the mental health needs of dislocated and evacuee children and families and the steps that were taken to develop mental health programs that would be sustainable over time to meet this new level of need. Keywords: Hurricane Katrina, mental health, disaster mental health, trauma, Katrina lessons learned

Details of the yellow fever epidemic situation in 1853 that exposed the social, economic and cultural divisions fostered by inept political governance are presented. It is suggested that the long-standing divisions may also be the cause for the slow recovery after Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina provided an opportunity to observe the public health and medical care response system in practice and provided vital lessons about identifying and learning critical response measures as well as about ineffective investments of time and effort. The Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness (SWCPHP) response team, while working among evacuees housed at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas, made a number of observations related to environmental public health. This summary reports firsthand observations which are, to a great extent, supported by the Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned report, and it provides a contextual backdrop for improvement in the areas of volunteer and citizen preparedness training and education. Katrina provided an opportunity to see public health in a highly stressed practice setting and to identify and reinforce the fundamental tenets of public health with which all individuals responding to an event should be familiar. Knowledge gained from Katrina should be integrated into future efforts related to disaster response planning; specifically, it is imperative that volunteers receive standardized training in the areas of incident command systems (ICS), basic hygiene, transmission of disease, and food and water safety principles., Introduction On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the coastal areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Katrina was a catastrophe and has been called the "most devastating [...]

BACKGROUND: Two devastating hurricanes ripped across the Gulf Coast of the United States during 2005. The effects of Hurricane Katrina were especially severe: The human and environmental health impacts on [...]

In response to Hurricane Katrina's extensive destruction and related public health threats, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deployed more than 1,000 staff to its emergency operations center and to affected areas. Among them were members of CDC's Emergency Communication System. This paper describes the strategies and tactics used by health communication specialists during the pre-event, response, and post-event stages to address a range of emergency communication exigencies. It highlights three difficult challenges for CDC communication specialists during Hurricane Katrina: rapid dissemination of health messages; adaptation of health messages for diverse audiences, locations, and circumstances; and phasing of key risk messages during the emergency response. Keywords: Health Communication; Emergency Communication; Hurricane Response; Chaos Theory

The authors briefly review the deaths, injuries, and diseases attributed to hurricanes that made landfall in the United States prior to Hurricane Katrina; recent hurricane evacuation studies and their potential for reducing death, injury, and disease; information available to date about mortality, injury, and disease attributed to Hurricane Katrina; and psychological distress attributable to hurricanes. Drowning in salt water caused by storm surges has been reduced over the past thirty years, while deaths caused by fresh water (inland) flooding and wind have remained steady. Well-planned evacuations of coastal areas can reduce death and injury associated with hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina provides an example of what happens when evacuation is not handled appropriately. Preliminary data indicate that vulnerable elderly people were substantially overrepresented among the dead and that evacuees represent a population potentially predisposed to a high level of psychological distress, exacerbated by severe disaster exposure, lack of economic and social resources, and an inadequate government response. Keywords hurricanes; physical health; mental health; evacuation; morbidity; mortality; Hurricane Katrina

To the Editor: Rarely has the aftermath of a natural disaster in the continental United States resulted in increased transmission of mosquito-borne viruses (1). However, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane [...]

Kevin Stephens, MD, director of the New Orleans Health Department, has a message for his public health colleagues around the country: "Look and listen closely." Day after day, he leads [...]

The federal health policy response to Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed infrastructure in states with low income and particularly high health care needs, is not just history by a test of the system's effectiveness. The activities of federal officials are reviewed, their performance critiqued and suggestions as to what should be done in the aftermath of disasters, natural or manmade, are presented.

The advent of America's largest natural disaster and equally gigantic media spectacle, literally blowing through the backyard would have been a welcome opportunity for intense research. However the Katrina experiences of vast destruction were too traumatic to take up any research on what is too close to home, resulting in a topical mental block in Katrina research.

An associate professor at Charity Hospital, New Orleans discusses his experience of the time spent with the people affected by the hurricane Katrina and their basic needs fulfilled by the hospitals. Some of the basic necessities that were provided by the hospital to the victims included shoes, brewed coffee, clean toilets, and morale-boosting activities.

The various health problems caused to the US population by the disastrous hurricane Katrina are discussed. The critical issues raised by Katrina's devastation are sanitation and hygiene, water safety, infection control, surveillance, immunizations, environmental health, and access to care, which need to be reconsidered to gain control.

A physician in the Division of International Health and Humanitarian Programs discusses her views on the tragic hurricane Katrina where she herself with her team volunteered to help the victims of the tragedy. Her team role was to assess as many of the shelters as possible, rapidly identify immediate and long-term needs and problems, and develop a plan for a response that was fully coordinated with the local authorities.