Volunteering after Katrina: Monitoring for Disease and Injuries

As an epidemiologist at the CDC, I conduct research, analysis, and reporting on the health systems aspects of tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control, especially on the interaction of TB and HIV. During Katrina hurricane disaster relief efforts, our administrators here at CDC offered all employees a chance to help with the relief. About ten volunteers in our TB division went to Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi to help in the field, while another group dedicated themselves to helping out from Atlanta. Everyone pulled together to successfully find all 169 of the “lost” TB patients who had started on TB treatment before the storm to return them to care and avert a real disaster if they became infectious again and transmitted their disease to others in the shelters where they were staying.

For my volunteer assignment, I was one of an 8 person team of epidemiologists who worked to assess and improve epidemiologic surveillance for diseases/injuries in the many shelters across Louisiana. I worked in the Lafayette region, which is part of the French Cajun area of the state. The southern part of my region and of the state overall was still flooded one month after the hurricane, with many people possibly permanently displaced. I mostly worked with the medical unit at the Cajun Dome Sports Complex of the University of Louisiana, which when I arrived housed 3400 evacuees and had decreased to 954 when I left. The center was truly a one-stop center for the evacuees, providing beds for sleeping, food, bathrooms, showers, medical care, dental care, money, post office services, child care and supplies (diapers, formula, etc.), vaccinations, clothing, storage, computer access, religious services, links to jobs, housing, unemployment insurance, disaster insurance claims, and FEMA security and IDs. It was pretty impressive. Most of the staffing was provided by the Red Cross and other volunteers. Another group called Minnesota Life Line provided nearly all the medical staffing at one large shelter and also for the Cajun Dome (so much so that I wondered what was left in MN). The center was so well run that most residents were reasonably satisfied with the services, rather than being discontented in the not-so-well-run centers.

Despite the horrendous circumstances, it was truly an opportunity to provide much needed services to many people who didn’t have access to things like dental care and immunizations before the tragedy. Our surveillance system documented high levels of chronic disease (diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma). We closely watched for increases in fever, vomiting, or diarrhea to identify and prevent any potential outbreaks. In addition to the large shelters, I also visited many small shelters run by churches and state parks. These smaller shelters offered what they could in terms of services, again run by volunteers. It was more difficult to conduct surveillance for disease and injuries in these shelters because of the lack of staff to assess and report on residents’ conditions.
The number of evacuees declined dramatically as many people returned to the remains of their homes. I was unsure about the ability of many of these folks to deal with the conditions “at home.” So many places were just decimated. Slidel, just northeast of New Orleans, looked like a bunch of matchsticks. Some of the State Health Care workers also lost their homes, which made it difficult to tell them, when they became ill themselves, to stop working and go home.

I was able to visit with a friend who was allowed to return to her house in New Orleans for the first time. Miraculously, the flood had stopped one block from her home. I stopped by the next day to help her clear her yard of debris. The house itself was pretty much untouched. However, on a trip with my team members, I was able to see the terrible destruction of the 9th Ward and other parts of the city.

The whole experience very much reminded me of Peace Corps. I only knew one of my seven colleagues prior to going. We all had about four days together in Baton Rouge as we desperately searched for housing. This was the most difficult part of the adventure. Evacuees were housed in all the hotels and motels within a 400 mile radius of New Orleans. We ended up staying at the Jimmy Swaggert Bible College for those days in Baton Rouge. It was the only place we could find. While there, I tried not to think about the cartoon on my refrigerator door at home that shows Jimmy threatening to kill all homosexuals. There were, however, a few relaxing times. I ate some really good food and listened to some “Laissez les bons temps roulez” good Cajun music when I could. Ever hear of the Blue Dog Café?

Suzanne Marks is LGB RPCVs Southeast Representative. She lives in Atlanta and can be reached at lgbrpcv-news@lgbrpcv.org.