Research Project

Natural disasters will become more frequent and severe as global climate change persists. Much of the public focus has been on the tangible impacts of natural disasters (i.e. monetary and casualties) rather than on the intangible impacts, such as mental health. Through a systematic review of the literature on the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, this study highlights the links between the impacts of natural disaster and mental health status. Survivors of Hurricane Katrina experienced symptoms of psychological distress and mental illness in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. The study also found a clear disparity in the severity of impacts across race and income. Black residents were more at risk for mental illness than their White counterparts and were also more likely to get displaced due to their lower socioeconomic status. Predatory policies by FEMA and other federal agencies, including delayed and lower than average payouts for minority groups also made it difficult for Black residents to rebuild their homes in contrast to White residents. Studies showed that displacement was correlated with a lack of economic stability, social support, and lower neighborhood status— these factors increased risk for developing mental illness and psychological distress, particularly among Black residents. Post-disaster plans should be revised to better address the potential development of psychological symptoms. The emerging field of disaster psychology highlights psychological first-aid as a method to treat survivors in the days and weeks following disaster, however, psychological first-aid cannot account for mental illness resulting from racial and economic inequalities.