Hurricane Katrina called attention to the need to prepare for large-scale disasters. In brief, what is clear is that preparing for health risks must occur long before a disaster strikes and that addressing health problems continues long after the initial search and rescue and other activities of the emergency period. In a disaster, integrated, up-to-date scientific information is required to respond to rapidly changing circumstances. Significant strides toward integration have occurred, but it is clear that additional planning, research, and integration are needed. Unlike many scientific subjects, for which the practitioner’s knowledge is solid but public awareness lags, disaster response and preparedness are areas in which professional understanding, capabilities, and approaches are evolving rapidly and substantially.

In illuminating these ideas during the workshop, the Roundtable stimulated scientific discussion about the ongoing needs for responding to Hurricane Katrina. By capturing the discussions and presentations by the speakers and participants, we hope to continue to spark discussion on the larger health issues related to responding to a disaster, whether it is the result of natural hazards, such as a hurricane or earthquake; biologically induced, such as pandemic flu; or an intentional act. The workshop did not consist of lessons learned from the hurricane response, but instead looked at how up-to-date scientific information could aid the recovery process. This workshop summary also captures the areas identified by the speakers and participants for additional research and the processes by which changes can occur.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Summary
  • EPA’S RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA
  • ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN NEW ORLEANS AND LOUISIANA
  • FEDERAL RESPONSE TO SHORT- AND LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS IN THE GULF COAST REGION
  • PROTECTING WORKERS DURING RECOVERY AND REBUILDING
  • RAPID RESPONSE ASSESSMENT
  • COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO DISASTERS
  • RESEARCH TO ADDRESS GAPS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS DURING A DISASTER
  • STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE
• 1. Introduction
  • ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
  • INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
• 2. Hurricane Katrina: Challenges, Concerns, Policies, and Needs
  • EPA’S RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA
  • EPA’S CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA
  • EPA’S COMMITMENTS
  • FUTURE CHALLENGES
• 3. Hurricane Katrina: Challenges for the Community
  • ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN NEW ORLEANS AND LOUISIANA
  • CHALLENGES AND NEEDS FOR HEALTH IN NEW ORLEANS
• 4. Nature and Extent of Environmental Exposures
  • SHORT- AND LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS IN THE GULF COAST REGION
  • PROTECTING WORKERS DURING RECOVERY AND REBUILDING
  • CLEANUP, EXPOSURE GUIDELINES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY DURING DISASTER: LESSONS TAKEN FROM THE AFTERMATH OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK
• 5. Health Monitoring, Assessment, and Response
  • RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR IDENTIFICATION, MANAGEMENT, AND PREVENTION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY RELATED DISEASE
  • POST-KATRINA MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE
  • ETHICAL HARMS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH RESEARCH
  • BEST PRACTICES IN COMMUNITY HEALTH RESEARCH
• 6. Community Involvement in Response to Disasters
  • KATRINA ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND RESTORATION NETWORK
  • RURAL HEALTH NETWORKS
  • ENSURING PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE RIGHT OF RETURN
• 7. Research to Address Gaps in Environmental Health Assessments During Disasters
  • SURVEILLANCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
  • DEFINING AND WORKING WITH SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATIONS
  • FROM EXPOSURE TO DISEASE OUTCOME
• 8. Moving Forward
  • ENSURING ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AND WELL-BEING
  • IMPACTS ON THE HEALTH OF COMMUNITIES AND THEIR RESIDENTS
  • THEMES FROM THE WORKSHOP
  • STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE
• References
• Appendixes
  • Appendix A Workshop Agenda
  • Appendix B Speakers and Panelists
  • Appendix C Workshop Participants

Rapporteurs: Lynn Goldman and Christine Coussens

This study was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health (Contract N01-OD-4-2193, TO#43); National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Contract 200-2000-00629, TO#7); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Contract 0000166930); National Health and Environment Effects Research Laboratory and the National Center for Environmental Research, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Contract 282-99-0045, TO#5); American Chemistry Council (unnumbered grant); ExxonMobil Corporation (unnumbered grant); and Institute of Public Health and Water Research (unnumbered grant). The views presented in this book are those of the individual presenters and are not necessarily those of the funding agencies or the Institute of Medicine.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2007. Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters: Hurricane Katrina. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.