New Orleanians Under Great Deal of Emotional Stress

[Sean in New Orleans]

Poll: Area residents still feeling emotional impact of storm

By John Pope
Staff writer

In the months since Hurricane Katrina turned every aspect of life upside down, New Orleanians are worrying more and sleeping less, and complaining about the difficulty of getting things done, especially mail delivery and home repairs, according to a University of New Orleans survey released Monday.

“We don’t expect this to be positive because we’ve just endured the worst disaster in American history,” UNO political scientist Susan Howell said at a news conference.

The findings, based on 470 telephone interviews in March and April, bore out her statement.

Pollsters found that slightly more than two-thirds of the New Orleanians interviewed said they are worried about what may happen in the next five years, and that nearly 40 percent are sleeping worse than they did before Katrina pummeled their city. In the week before they were questioned, at least 20 percent of the interviewees said that they had felt tired, irritable and sad; that everything was an effort; and that they had a hard time concentrating.
“These are not typical questions you would ask in a survey of Americans,” said Howell, who organized the poll with researchers from Louisiana State University.

Pollsters set out to set a baseline of responses, she said, adding that if conditions improve, subsequent surveys can be compared to the first to reflect people’s increasingly positive attitudes.

“I obviously hope that these indicators are going to improve over time,” Howell said. “If there’s no improvement, that’s the reason people may leave.”

The survey was the 20th in a series of polls measuring quality of life that Howell and her colleagues have conducted in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Although more Jeffersonians seemed satisfied with life in general — 70 percent, compared with 48 percent of New Orleanians — exactly the same number of people in each parish — 67 percent — said they worry about what the next five years might bring.

People in both parishes had the same priorities when they were asked what they expect from government. In order, they said, they want: better levees, housing and help in making home repairs, and financial aid.

Orleanians and Jeffersonians also expressed frustration with getting mail, making home repairs, buying groceries and getting medical care. Howell said the last complaint was “most troubling.”

“It’s more difficult if you live in New Orleans,” she said. “Recovery will be measured by these things getting easier.”

More than 70 percent of the people in each parish said health problems they had had before the storm were “staying the same or getting worse.”

Although the findings may seem grim, the New Orleans numbers could have been worse because Howell and her colleagues interviewed only people with land lines — no FEMA trailer residents — who are living in their own homes or in other people’s dwellings in relatively stable neighborhoods, such as Uptown, the French Quarter, Algiers and Bywater.

“That was where we could get people,” Howell said, adding that none of the New Orleans interviewees lived near Lake Pontchartrain or in the eastern part of the city, two areas that Katrina hit hard. The Jeffersonians, however, came from all over that parish.

One question that was not asked was whether the interviewees were considering leaving the area.

“I don’t think there’s any stability in what people are thinking right now,” Howell said.

In terms of losses, about 30 percent of the interviewees in each parish said their homes were flooded, and about one-fifth said they weren’t living where they had lived before Katrina swept through. About 60 percent of the people in each parish said they lost possessions, and about 40 percent said someone in their households had lost work because of the storm.

Housing and other economic problems were worse among African Americans in both parishes, the researchers found.

Working with Howell on the study were LSU sociologists Jeanne S. Hurlbert and John Beggs. Both work with the LSU Hurricane Center, as does another study participant, Valerie Haines, a sociologist at the University of Calgary in Canada’s Alberta province.

(John Pope can be reached at jpope@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3317.)
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupdates/ ... tml#148175

[MGC]

Just wait till the first hurricane is in the GOM. I know here in Mississippi people are dreading the first storm......MGC

[invictus61101]

“We don’t expect this to be positive because we’ve just endured the worst disaster in American history,” UNO political scientist Susan Howell said at a news conference.

Ummm, hardly the "worst" disaster in American history. There were more people killed in the terrorist attacks in Sept 01 and in the great Galveston hurricane of 1900.

[Sean in New Orleans]

“We don’t expect this to be positive because we’ve just endured the worst disaster in American history,” UNO political scientist Susan Howell said at a news conference.

Ummm, hardly the "worst" disaster in American history. There were more people killed in the terrorist attacks in Sept 01 and in the great Galveston hurricane of 1900.

Maybe she should have said worst "natural" disaster in American history and then it would be fact. Give her a break. There is much, much stress, depression, and anxiety in this city...that's the whole point. You can see it and feel it every day amongst the million+ that are back and attempting to resume life here.

[Sean in New Orleans]

Here's more on video with the results on the study...It's the top story on Internet-News: http://www.wwltv.com/sharedcontent/Vide ... rops=inews

[Audrey2Katrina]

Ummm, hardly the "worst" disaster in American history. There were more people killed in the terrorist attacks in Sept 01 and in the great Galveston hurricane of 1900.

MUST we get nit-picky about this.... in terms of death toll it was probably the Galveston hurricane which folks had no warning about at all over a century ago. In terms of dollars and cents, it's not even close--in overall impact this storm will have cost the nation well over $200 Billion, regardless of the lowered "insurance claim" based stats they're tossing around now... and in terms of area of total devastation... again... not even close... 90,000 square miles, and New Orleans alone had FIFTEEN TIMES the debris removed than the WTC debris, if you include all the debris across the area of devastation, make it over 50 times the debris. The point being made was that in size, scope, magnitude, and the number of lives severely impacted (again greater than ANY of the others mentioned--you don't have to DIE to have suffered a disaster, and this puppy sorely affected over 2 million people across 3 states!) and all factors combined, this was indeed far and away a HUGE national disaster, and by some yardsticks, the worst in US history.

A2K

[Javlin]

Ya did you guys see the other night on WYES the Professor talking with some people of St.Bernard and New Orleans quite humbling.The discussion center on peoples anxiety,stress and depression since Katrina.The words,expressions and lost of words at times made things a little to raw.I could only watch for about 20 minutes or so,I like them and all of us here are trying to put it all behind us.Katrina was a tough nail to bite much moreso than that other storm what was it "oh yea Camille"how ones perception can change.Katrina left me unscathed for the most part when I hear of everyone Else's lost.The only memory I have of Katrina is of those first ten days is of horror for lack of a better word.What mankind can be reduced too by this type of event and his will and ability to survive on little of nothing.God I hope i never have to do this again but it happens everyday somewhere just about our lucky number was drawn just wasn't the lotto.A2k hope you are enjoying some time off I sent my Wife's arse to work.If I let her stay home she will shop the whole summer.Trust me I did it one year I am still going "GOD Honey please".

[Audrey2Katrina]

Thanks, Javlin. I'm somewhat enjoying the time off; but I gotta get busy finding another employer. Archdiocesan cutbacks since Katrina had me low on the totempole, so I'm playing on a day-to-day basis. Hopefully something will come up. Hope all is well with you and the little shopper!

A2K

[HurricaneBill]

Ummm, hardly the "worst" disaster in American history. There were more people killed in the terrorist attacks in Sept 01 and in the great Galveston hurricane of 1900.

Let's put it this way, Katrina was the first disaster to cripple an American city since the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

[Dionne]

Anchorage, Alaska.....March 27, 1964.....Great Alaskan Earthquake. The entire region was crippled. I was there and recall it vividly. I am also a Katrina veteran. There are similarities in regional disasters. When the entire grid goes down and people are dead......the issue of "mine is bigger than yours".....becomes irrelevant.

On the positive side....once you have survived a natural disaster......it's kind of like taking graduate level courses. You quickly learn how to react. Planning becomes obsessive.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Anchorage, Alaska.....March 27, 1964.....Great Alaskan Earthquake. The entire region was crippled. I was there and recall it vividly. I am also a Katrina veteran. There are similarities in regional disasters. When the entire grid goes down and people are dead......the issue of "mine is bigger than yours".....becomes irrelevant.

On the positive side....once you have survived a natural disaster......it's kind of like taking graduate level courses. You quickly learn how to react. Planning becomes obsessive.

Before I respond, Dionne, let me make it clear that I understand the "point" you are trying to make. And it is both cogent, and well taken.

Now with that said I feel that a few things need to be "clarified"...

First: Nobody in here was playing "mine is bigger than yours" UNTIL the snide comment about "ummm hardly...." followed with comparisons to arguably faulty analogies--when one plays the semantics game. All the thread was "intended" to do was, as should be the case for an "aftermath" thread, to vent a little, share a little, and above all "EMPATHIZE" with those going through it rather than passing trite comments in an effort to somehow or other make it seem like it has indeed become a "mine is worth than yours" scenario. (This is decidedly NOT aimed at your post).

Secondly: There is no way to completely empiricize a "disaster". One could bring in the population affected (Katrina affected over 2 million), the size of the area of devastation (90,000 sq. miles here!) and a real technical freak with a lot of time on their hands could even bring in "adjusted for inflation" and/or "adjusted for population" or economic impact factors that number-crunchers seem to find no end of digging up. You can't restrict a tragedy to a set of statistics, unless it's just a number or statistic that is your concern, and not the people involved. For a couple whose single home burns to the ground, THAT is the worst disaster imaginable. What they might need in the "aftermath" is someone who would condole with them rather than have another come along and compare it to how another "whole block" somewhere else, burnt down. It's fine to come in with a truly sincere "I understand--but try to look on the up side, things "could" be worse" attitude of sympathy, and encourage them to look forward with optimism. It'sanother animal altogether to pass sarcastic comments aimed at making their calamity seem trivial, or otherwise so much less in comparison to this, or that.

Thirdly: I, too, recall the Anchorage EQ, it was huge. And unlike the previous poster, I would never attempt to trivialize what had to be a true nightmare for anyone who went through that. (Not sure but I believe to this day it's either the highest, or very near highest magnitude EQ's in recent memory--certainly in North America.) But on the other hand, suppose I replied with: ...ummmmm, hardly comparable since Anchorage is so small, only about 85,000 and not a "Major" US city at the time...and punctuated it with, "only" 131 dead while this catastrophe had so many more..or another many times more..." THAT IMHO would be horrendously callous and, if anything, indicative of a snide individual who must/may have their own possible ax to grind and/or is incapable of compassion and understanding. A catastrophe is a catastrophe.

Finally: Returning to the actual topic of the thread... it's about the MASSIVE numbers of humans right here in America, that are under enormous mental stress, largely due to the fact that the signs of real recovery are indescribably slow in manifesting themselves outside of a small area near the CBD. When a metro area of more than 1.5 million experiences this kind of enormous devastation, and has to deal with it daily with little light on the horizon, what they need is either a little understanding..or if one is incapable of that... then perhaps just no comment at all.

Eventually we will recover--this area (including those along the MGC who have certainly had more than their share) will recover. It's just that dealing with the emotional strain from day to day does get a tad tiring, and the last thing they need is an unsympathetic "mine (or another) was worse than yours" picture which was not at all what the original article cited was all about. (Again, none of this directed at you--but only in hopes of placing these things in a better context.)

And yes, planning is obsessive to those who've survived... the sad fact is that we face these things on a much more regular basis than any of the other aforementioned catastrophes and this is only mentioned to emphasize the "stress" levels people currently experience. Hopefully we will go a few seasons without any major hits, and this will give people a chance to truly recover, emotionally, as well as fiscally, and physically.

A2K

[TSmith274]

Excellent A2K.... very well put.