The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

A Trauma Researcher's Perspective

Vasterling, Jennifer J.

Psychology Service and VA National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts
Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana

Jennifer J. Vasterling, PhD, Psychology (116B), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130 [email protected]

Traumatology 14(4):p 21-26, December 2008. | DOI: 10.1177/1534765608323444

In this article, the author describes from her personal perspective the progression and range of emotional reactions of the New Orleans community to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. The article further discusses the author's observations of the facilitators and barriers to emotional recovery that have unfolded as New Orleans continues to recover as a city. Lessons learned center on (a) the longitudinal phenomenology of emotional and psychobiological stress responses in a context in which the aftermath of the initial event is characterized by a set of pronounced and enduring stressors and (b) the value of institutional and social support networks in confronting and overcoming these challenges.