Hurricane Katrina

In the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, a person could not turn on a television set, tune in a radio station or read a newspaper or magazine without hearing about and seeing the images of displaced adults and children searching for the basic necessities of life. From thousands of people huddled in the flooded and hot Louisiana Superdome to families and groups of people sleeping on bridges and the sides of roads holding signs begging for food or water, our nation and the world saw the human damage causes by nature during a hurricane. But after a few weeks the images and stories became less and less and now it is difficult to find these same images stories in the news media. While the images and some of the suffering for the people of New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast region might have subsided, one study and wealth of psychological data show that for children, the effects of Hurricane Katrina and in fact all natural disasters go way beyond just the physical damage and that in some cases a natural disaster like Katrina or other hurricanes can cause developmental problems in children. One of the most common and damaging psychological disorders that leads to problems in child development following a natural disaster is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Post traumatic stress disorder is defined as a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape (http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/general/fs_what_is_ptsd.html). Most people suffer from some form of PTSD following one of the life-threatening events mentioned above, but for most people the effects go away in a short period of time and they return to a normal life. However, for the people who do not see the effects go away in a short period of time the damage could be substantial. People who suffer from

Cited: Delamater, A. and Applegate, B. PTSD in Head Start children after Hurricane Andrew. 1999 http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/general/fs_what_is_ptsd.html. http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsFam/DISASTER.HTM. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychology. "Helping Children After A Disaster." July 2004. Myers-Walls, Judith A. "Children as Victims of Hurricane Katrina." Consumer and Family Sciences. Purdue University. September 2005. Terr L. "Children of Chowchilla: Study of psychic trauma." Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 34. 1979.