Substance Use and Other Health Consequences Among Katrina Evacuees In Houston

Funded by National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health

Dr. Avelardo Valdez, Principal Investigator

Project Description

The devastating events of Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing floods on the U.S. Gulf coast will undoubtedly have long term social and economic consequences among both victims of this natural disaster and in the general population of the region. Of immediate concern however, are the health consequences that may manifest among this highly vulnerable displaced population. In particular is the impact Katrina has had on the initiation, use/misuse, and relapse of alcohol and drug use among evacuees in Houston, Texas.

This study will examine how disaster related experiences associated with Hurricane Katrina impact changes in substance use and abuse patterns, drug treatment utilization, HIV risk behaviors and networks, and current health status among low income, predominantly African American evacuees living in Houston . Reports indicate that over 150,000 individuals were relocated to Houston from the disaster stricken areas. This research will provide a conceptual framework to explain substance use and abuse, behavioral, and other health related consequences associated with the disaster related experiences of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, this research will provide information on:

The drug and sexual risk behaviors and risk networks associated with substance use and abuse after natural disasters that can have serious consequences for the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other infectious diseases.

Provide a description of the disaster related experiences associated with Hurricane Katrina among families evacuated to Houston .

Determine to what extent Hurricane Katrina has disrupted, stabilized, or influenced in some other manner drug use patterns and treatment services among evacuees relocated in Houston .

Among drug using evacuees, document the relationship between them and drug users and drug markets in Houston .

The extent to which drug using evacuees engage in high risk drug behaviors and come to have contact with high risk drug networks in Houston.

Previous disaster research has found that persons who experience large scale damage and loss of life experience stress and are vulnerable to substance abuse, especially those recovering from addiction. Given these findings, it is anticipated that victims of Hurricane Katrina will encounter behavioral problems that could make them susceptible to drugs and other substances.

  Houston Evacuees

On September 4, 2005, the city of Houston reported the largest number of evacuees (27, 1000 residents) on site at four local facilities designated as shelters. The breakdown for each facility on this date was: Reliant Arena (4,500), Reliant Center (2,300), Reliant Astrodome (17,500) and George R. Brown (2,800). The Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health conducted a survey September 10-12 with 680 randomly selected evacuees residing in the above mentioned facilities (Kaiser 2005). Demographic characteristics revealed that 93 percent of the respondents were African American, 47 percent were single, 77 percent had a high school or less education and 59 percent reported an annual household income of under $20,000. Findings indicated that 98 percent were living in New Orleans when the storm hit, and of these three quarters had lived in the city their entire lives. Forty four percent said they would like to permanently relocate, of which 65 percent said it would be in the Houston area. A little more than half (52%) of the respondents indicated no health insurance coverage at the time of the hurricane.

New Orleans Pre-Katrina

• In 2003, 21 percent of New Orleans residents were living below the poverty level, of which 35 percent were African American.
• In three of the evacuated parishes, HIV/AIDS prevalence rates per 100,000 were: 279 in Jefferson, 1198 in Orleans , and 178 in St. Bernard.
• According to ADAM 2003 urine test results, New Orleans was the third highest city with 78.4 percent of the adult male and 59.8 percent of the adult female arrestee population testing positive for any of 5 drugs (cocaine, marijuana, meth, opiates, PCP).

The study will be assessing disaster related experiences and the extent to which changes in drug use patterns and treatment services have occurred among hurricane Katrina evacuees living in Houston , Texas .