New Book: Disasters and Public Health: Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma

Posted by on August 17, 2009

Disasters and Public Health: Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma

By Virginia M. Brennan

The events of Hurricane Katrina have been seared into our collective consciousness, revealing a glaring discrepancy between the experiences of privileged whites and those of low—income blacks. The latter faced a scale of physical danger and mental trauma that the former largely escaped. While residents with resources evacuated in cars, poor residents were left to fend for themselves — without food, water, medicine, shelter, or safety. Many poor African Americans died; many more lost loved ones and all of their material belongings. Natural Disasters and Public Health analyzes the public health effects of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma on minorities in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast.

The contributors assess the overall health policy and public health implications of these three natural disasters.  This volume is a valuable resource for public policymakers, health care agencies, providers who plan for large—scale emergencies, academics teaching disaster relief courses, and professionals working in this field.

CCPH members receive a 20% discount when ordering this publication and all Johns Hopkins University Press publications from the CCPH website!

To order: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/books.html