Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters: Hurricane Katrina

It has been more than a year since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the Gulf Coast region. One does not need to sensationalize the events of the days, weeks, and months after this category 3 hurricane devastated the region—a region that has yet to fully recover. The tragic loss of human life overshadowed the ongoing social and economic disruption in a region that was already economically depressed.

On October 20, 2005, the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine held a workshop to bring together members of the scientific community not only to highlight the status of the recovery effort but also to consider the ongoing challenges in the midst of a disaster, to look at the scientific issues, and to be able to reassure the public with the best scientific information. The workshop provided an opportunity to explore some of the most pressing research and preparedness needs related to the health risks of Hurricane Katrina. It also provided an opportunity to discuss the larger issues for scientific collaboration during a disaster of this magnitude.