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The signs of trauma are not a surprise to those who studied the population after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The damage to Mexico Beach was similar to that of southern Mississippi, where whole communities were razed by the wind and the storm, and the reconstruction of the city of Panama could take years. , as well as parts of New Orleans after the flood of the metropolitan area.
Dr. Irwin Redlener of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University has observed widespread and persistent psychological effects after Katrina. One study found that five years after the storm, parents reported that over 37% of children had a clinical diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or behavioral disorder.
Redlener says that's partly because parents are overwhelmed and are less able to protect their children from bad experiences.
"They survived a major disaster, which is good, but everything they knew is gone," he said.
Researcher David Murphey said that children are turning to their parents to learn how to respond to completely new and frightening situations.
"If they see parents breaking up a bit, it will also create anxiety for the kids," said Murphey.
Dr. Emily Harville, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans, said that most people would return to their original state within a year. about, but that others would have difficulties longer.
"There will be a small group that will continue to have long-term mental health problems," she said.
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