This study examined the stability of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a predominantly ethnic minority sample of youth exposed to Hurricane Katrina. Youth (n = 191 grades 4th thru 8th) were screened for exposure to traumatic experiences and PTSD symptoms at 24 months (Time 1) and then again at 30 months (Time 2) post-disaster. PTSD symptoms did not significantly decline over tim...

OBJECTIVE We examined symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) personnel who provided law enforcement and relief services to affected communities following Hurricane Katrina. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey of mental health outcomes related to personal and work-related exposures of police personnel 8 weeks after t...

Governmental responses to Hurricane Katrina are generally cited as policy failures. Media and popular analyses focus on the federal government’s policy failures in hazard preparedness, response, and recovery. Meanwhile, disaster experts realize that disaster response is a shared intergovernmental responsibility. We examine the federal nature of natural disaster policy in the US to consider whet...

Computer-based decision support systems are increasingly used to aid human decision makers in dynamic, uncertain, time-stressed and high-stakes contexts. The decision of whether, and if so, when to evacuate New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approached landfall is a prime example. An evaluation of the “HURREVAC” decision support system (DSS) used during Katrina is presented. The evaluation is bas...

What is the most eff ective framework for analyzing complex accountability challenges within governing networks? Recognizing the multiscale and intersector (public, private, and nonprofi t) characteristics of these networks, an accountability model is advanced organized around democratic (elected representatives, citizens, and the legal system), market (owners and consumers), as well as adminis...