Hurricane Harvey and Greater Houston households: comparing pre‐event preparedness with post‐event health effects, event exposures, and recovery

Grineski, Sara E.; Flores, Aaron B.; Collins, Timothy W.; Chakraborty, Jayajit

doi:10.1111/disa.12368

Cited by 36 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(80 reference statements)

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“…Higher income was protective against PTS symptoms and physical health problems. 59 Households with higher incomes or individuals in possession of an advanced degree were less likely to report food insecurity post-Harvey. 60 Five months after Harvey, Texans directly affected by Harvey with graduate/professional degrees reported better mental health than those without these degrees, and those living in mobile homes (vs. single-family) reported worse mental health.…”

Section: Health Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Injustice in the Disaster Cycle: Hurricane Harvey and the Texas Gulf Coast

Flores

Collins

Grineski

et al. 2021

Environmental Justice

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We apply an environmental justice lens to synthesize knowledge of disparities experienced by Hurricane Harvey survivors based on race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) across the disaster phases. We focus on the Texas Gulf Coast, which hosts the largest petrochemical industrial complex in the United States and experienced Harvey-induced flooding in 2017, precipitating a naturaltechnological (na-tech) disaster. We review studies that have examined race/ethnicity-and/or SESbased disparities in each of Harvey's phases (i.e., mitigation, preparedness, physical impacts, health impacts, response, and recovery). Before Harvey, racial/ethnic minority and low SES populations had constrained access to resources for mitigating flood/hurricane hazards and exhibited less disaster preparedness relative to White and higher SES populations. The physical and health impacts associated with Harvey disproportionately affected minority and low SES groups. In addition, minority and low SES populations experienced heightened challenges in responding to and recovering from Harvey. Disparities documented within each phase of Harvey likely cascaded across this event for minority and low SES survivors, accumulating disadvantage in a manner that compounded their experiences of injustice. Patterns of na-tech disaster injustice in Harvey reflect preexisting racial/economic segregation and inequality along the Texas Gulf Coast and mirror patterns observed in Hurricane Katrina. Such disaster injustices derive from features shared by many U.S. Gulf Coast communities, including the presence of weak planning institutions, exploitative industries, degraded environments, spatial segregation, and stark inequalities. Thus, ameliorating regional disaster injustices requires tackling those root causes, while simultaneously improving organizational capabilities for disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

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Section: Health Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Injustice in the Disaster Cycle: Hurricane Harvey and the Texas Gulf Coast

Flores

Collins

Grineski

et al. 2021

Environmental Justice

Self Cite

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“… 11 , 20 , 24 , 25 With such a high rate of toxicological emergencies and physical trauma in our study population, it is highly likely that many of those patients would also be at risk for anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health conditions that may not have been diagnosed in the ED or UCC setting. 11 , 20 , 24 , 26 , 27 Furthermore, although this study includes over 38,000 patient encounters, it is limited to one hospital network and does not include patients who may have sought care in other facilities or may not have had access to care. While this is a limitation, it is important to note that our hospital network provides care for nearly two-thirds of the pediatric population in our metropolitan area.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Visits in Houston after Hurricane Harvey

Fanny¹,

Kaziny²,

Cruz³

et al. 2021

WJEM

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Introduction Natural disasters are increasingly common and devastating. It is essential to understand children’s health needs during disasters as they are a particularly vulnerable population. The objective of this study was to evaluate pediatric disease burden after Hurricane Harvey compared to the preceding month and the same period in the previous year to inform pediatric disaster preparedness. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients seen at pediatric emergency departments (ED) and urgent care centers (UCC) 30 days before (late summer) and after (early fall) the hurricane and from the same time period in 2016. We collected demographic information and the first five discharge diagnoses from a network of EDs and UCCs affiliated with a quaternary care children’s hospital in Houston, Texas. We calculated the odds of disease outcomes during various timeframes using binary logistic regression modeling. Results There were 20,571 (median age: 3.5 years, 48.1% female) and 18,943 (median age: 3.5 years, 47.3% female) patients in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Inpatient admission rates from the ED a month after Harvey were 20.5%, compared to 25.3% in the same period in 2016 (P<0.001). In both years, asthma and other respiratory illnesses increased from late summer to early fall. After controlling for these seasonal trends, the following diseases were more commonly seen after the hurricane: toxicological emergencies (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.61, 95% [confidence interval] CI, 1.35–5.05); trauma (aOR: 1.42, 95% CI, 1.32–1.53); and dermatological complaints (aOR: 1.34, 95% CI, 1.23–1.46). Conclusion We observed increases in rashes, trauma, and toxicological diagnoses in children after a major flood. These findings highlight the need for more medication resources and public health and education measures focused on pediatric disaster preparedness and management.

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“…58 Flood preparedness was also prioritized in one review, 59 while a study of Hurricane Harvey found those who took preparedness measures fared better in the storm-associated flooding. 60 A review of nonstorm flooding in Europe found heavy rainfall to be the most commonly reported driver of disease outbreaks. 61 However, flood research was mainly storm-related; nonstorm flooding remains a gap.…”

Section: New Health and Flooding Research In 2020mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change and Human Well-Being in the 2020s: Lessons From 2020

Sheehan

2021

Int J Health Serv

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Behind the coronavirus headlines the year 2020 set multiple extreme weather records, including unprecedented wildfires in Australia and California, massive flooding in China, and back-to-back hurricanes in Central America. The impacts on the well-being of local populations have been devastating. We reviewed these extreme weather events, together with the year’s newly published climate and health science reports, and identified three important themes for building health resilience in the decade ahead: (1) preparing for greater magnitude and intensity of climate hazards, extreme events, and population health impacts; (2) better anticipating cascading and compound impacts on population well-being, particularly for the most vulnerable; and (3) identifying appropriate, effective preparedness tools and strategies. While decarbonizing the economy is the urgent goal to protect both human and planetary health from a changing climate, 2020 demonstrates that recognizing the likely magnitude and complexity of future extreme weather events, and preparing local public health agencies and communities with the knowledge and tools to respond to them, will be essential in this critical decade.

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Hurricane Harvey and Greater Houston households: comparing pre‐event preparedness with post‐event health effects, event exposures, and recovery

Cited by 36 publications

References 54 publications

Environmental Injustice in the Disaster Cycle: Hurricane Harvey and the Texas Gulf Coast

Environmental Injustice in the Disaster Cycle: Hurricane Harvey and the Texas Gulf Coast

Pediatric Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Visits in Houston after Hurricane Harvey

Climate Change and Human Well-Being in the 2020s: Lessons From 2020

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