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Disaster-Related Shelter Surveillance During the Hurricane Harvey Response – Texas 2017

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2019

Amy Helene Schnall ,
Arianna Hanchey ,
Nicole Nakata ,
Alice Wang ,
Zuha Jeddy ,
Herminia Alva ,
Christina Tan ,
Tegan Boehmer ,
Tesfaye Bayleyegn  and
Mary Casey-Lockyer
Amy Helene Schnall
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Arianna Hanchey*
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Nicole Nakata
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Management, City and County of Honolulu, HI
Alice Wang
Affiliation:
Center for Global Health (CGH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Zuha Jeddy
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Herminia Alva
Affiliation:
Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, TX
Christina Tan
Affiliation:
New Jersey Department of Health, Trenton, NJ
Tegan Boehmer
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Tesfaye Bayleyegn
Affiliation:
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
Mary Casey-Lockyer
Affiliation:
American Red Cross National Headquarters, Washington, DC
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Arianna Hanchey, 4770 Buford Highway MS F60, Chamblee GA 30341 (e-mail: KYE2@cdc.gov).
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Abstract

Objectives:

Hurricane Harvey left a path of destruction in its wake, resulting in over 100 deaths and damaging critical infrastructure. During a disaster, public health surveillance is necessary to track emerging illnesses and injuries, identify at-risk populations, and assess the effectiveness of response efforts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Red Cross collaborate on shelter surveillance to monitor the health of the sheltered population and help guide response efforts.

Methods:

We analyzed data collected from 24 Red Cross shelters between August 25, 2017, and September 14, 2017. We described the aggregate morbidity data collected during Harvey compared with previous hurricanes (Gustav, Ike, and Sandy).

Results:

Over one-third (38%) of reasons for visit were for health care maintenance; 33% for acute illnesses, which includes respiratory conditions, gastrointestinal symptoms, and pain; 19% for exacerbation of chronic disease; 7% for mental health; and 4% for injury. The Red Cross treated 41% of clients within the shelters; however, reporting of disposition was often missed. These results are comparable to previous hurricanes.

Conclusion:

The capacity of Red Cross shelter staff to address the acute health needs of shelter residents is a critical resource for local public health agencies overwhelmed by the disaster. However, there remains room for improvement because reporting remained inconsistent.

Keywords

American Red CrossdisasterHurricane Harveymorbiditysheltersurveillance
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 49 - 55
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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