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Nov. 12, 2005
Baton Rouge & New Orleans, Louisiana
The Trauma Outreach Program (TOP) continues our work with survivors of hurricanes Katrina/Rita in the aftermath of the flooding of New Orleans. Our current task is to offer a combination of small group trauma education and individual sessions to those staff members of Catholic Charities who were adversely affected. We are also gathering assessment data on symptoms associated with this disaster and providing community trauma education to affected communities.
The massive flooding after hurricane Katrina accounts for the majority of the trauma we are seeing in those affected. The suffering is in large part a result of the loss of homes and property, the loss of the city of New Orleans, and the subsequent separation of families and communities. Many of the people we are working with have yet to return home to survey the damage and to retrieve any remaining belongings. Their lives ‘before Katrina’ no longer exist. Electricity is still out in most of the city, which remains soggy and covered with mold. The few people living there are happy to be home. However, they report deep feelings of uneasiness when they talk about the eerie quality of viewing dark homes and neighborhoods. In addition to losing homes and personal possessions, many people did not have insurance. Those that did have insurance are watching their coverage being discounted because of ‘interpretations between loss that was caused by water damage from hurricane winds and from the flooding.
These two policy exclusions are costing survivors millions of dollars they are unable to claim. The future of New Orleans remains uncertain; the stress of family/friend separation, grief from loss of home, pets, belongings, and community, fear of the future and the distress of dealing with FEMA and insurance companies is continuing to take a toll more than 2 months after the disaster itself.
In Thailand after the tsunami, we worked mostly with shock trauma due to the high incidence of physical injury and death caused by the unexpected force of the massive wave of water. It is a different kind of trauma than we are used to seeing in this country. The damage is done in one fell swoop, help moves in, and gradually lives are rebuilt.
People here are used to hurricanes. Their traumas resulted from of the levees failing and the ensuing chaos. In New Orleans, 75% of the housing is destroyed or damaged. Tens of thousand of jobs are lost and no one can say when or even if things will improve. It is becoming clearer that New Orleans will never be the same. As this reality sinks in, we will see more and more people with symptoms of depression, and the accompanying feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Suicidal ideation will most likely rise, particularly when people are unable to receive appropriate support.
In our 3rd week in the field, we provided trauma education to 13 small groups (8-15 people per group) in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and surrounding communities. We also provided individual sessions to 55 CC staff members. We have been well rewarded for our work by each smiling person that emerges from the sessions we offer. So too in the stories of resiliency that we hear. We note the color returning to those faces drained from exhaustion and loss. We see hope expressed where there was despair, as people begin to feel “like themselves again”. We listen to the testimony of profound faith that holds a sense of meaning and belief that they will survive. It is humbling to be in the presence of such deep faith. It continues to be humbling to see how our work is so appropriate and timely in the wake of yet another disaster.
TOP Team – Week 3
Team Leader- Geneie Everett, New Mexico
Clinical Supervisor - Patti Elledge, North Carolina
Lois Bass, Massachusetts
Sharon Whittle, California
Christina Kuepper-Oake, New Jersey
Tom Amberson, California
Pat McCarthy, Massachusetts
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katrina/rita
