Drinking Water, Medical Care Top Hurricane Katrina Survivors' Concerns
Three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Gulf Coast, a new survey conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security shows that one-third (34 percent) of those affected by the storm report they are very prepared if a major hurricane were to strike their communities in the next six months.
The top worries of respondents threatened or hit by Hurricane Katrina are that they would not have enough fresh water to drink (42 percent are very worried) and that they would not be able to get needed medical care (41 percent are very worried). The survey of 5,055 people was conducted in eight states--Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas--and only included residents of high-risk counties, those within 20 miles of the coast. The poll also included a special sample of the New Orleans metropolitan area.
The top concern of respondents who were not affected by Katrina is that they would have problems getting gas needed to evacuate (39 percent are very worried). This is a concern that Katrina-affected respondents share (36 percent are very worried) but rank below worries about fresh water and medical care. Those not affected by Katrina are much less likely to be worried about fresh water (27 percent are very worried) and getting needed medical care (29 percent are very worried).
"The top concerns of people in high-risk hurricane areas--having enough fresh water, getting medical care, and obtaining gas to evacuate--are all things that public officials can plan for before the major storms of this season hit," said Robert Blendon, professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.
These findings are based on interviews conducted May 27-June 23, 2008 with 5,055 adults in high hurricane risk counties in eight states. Twelve percent of the survey's respondents said they were threatened or hit by Hurricane Katrina while 46 percent were threatened or hit by a different hurricane during the past five years.
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