Survivors displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita now living in “temporary” travel trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi are 15 times more likely to take their own lives than people in the rest of the United States. An International Medical Corps study released today also found that women living in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers are at a much higher risk of being raped or experiencing domestic violence than before the hurricane. In addition, the survey found the rate of depression among trailer park residents is seven times the national average. Moreover, since displacement, suicide attempts were roughly 79 times higher than before the disaster.
Key findings from the International Medical Corps survey of nearly 400 men and women living in FEMA trailer parks in Louisiana and Mississippi were published today in The Annals of Emergency Medicine. The study conducted in April and May of 2006 represents the experiences of 85,000 survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita living in FEMA travel trailer parks in the two-state survey.
“The health burdens identified in the study present a formidable challenge for the health infrastructures in Louisiana and Mississippi, without outside assistance. Those planning and leading recovery efforts should not think of these displaced persons as merely “evacuees”, but in a global construct as internally displaced persons,” says Dr. Lynn Lawry, International Medical Corps’ Director of Evidence-Based Research. “Programs should be tailored to well-developed and well-studied international models of rights-based care as a means for improving the health and well-being of this population.”
In documenting domestic violence, the study revealed that intimate partner violence after displacement was nearly triple the yearly baseline rates reported before displacement, and rapes reported since displacement are nearly 54 times the national yearly average. Nearly half of respondents noted a lack of security as a problem faced in travel trailer parks. Forty-nine percent of respondents did not feel safe walking in their community at night. In addition, of respondents with children, 45% did not feel safe letting their children play in the trailer parks during the day.
California-based International Medical Corps is a veteran of more than two decades of overseas emergency operations. International Medical Corps is a lead-organization for integrating psycho-social programs into relief efforts and building mental health capacities. Following Hurricane Katrina and Rita, International Medical Corps responded domestically for the first time in its history and operated a psychosocial support program for devastated communities. The randomized study, led by Dr. Lawry, found that basic humanitarian needs, such as food, water and shelter have, for the most part, been addressed. However, despite efforts by government and non-profit organizations, little progress on transitional and long-term solutions has been made in the areas of permanent housing, medical care, mental health services, security, and transportation for internally displaced persons.