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The panel was asked to identify any immediate or long-term effects of disasters on families they may have encountered through their work or research. Their findings were associated with several disasters: Hurricane Andrew (1992), the Northridge earthquake (1994), and the Red River flood (1997). Both psychological and physical factors that might be affected by disasters were reviewed, as related to families.
Nicole Dash reported that following Hurricane Andrew, data were gathered on rates of divorce, domestic violence, and family stress. Some increase in divorce and domestic violence were reported, but it was likely that these problems existed prior to the disaster, and were aggravated by the stress of the situation. There was a significant increase in stress between partners reported in Dade County (27.6%) and in South Dade County (56.1%), the hardest hit area. For the most part, the stress manifested was short-lived and mild. Some factors contributing to the stress were related to getting or being denied assistance, and the level of property destruction suffered. Female heads of household and households without existing kinship networks were likely to suffer stress increases.
Alice Fothergill relayed some findings from her research on domestic violence before and after the 1997 Red River floods in Grand Forks, North Dakota. An increase in demand for support service providers occurred after the floods, but a significant amount of the demand may have been from existing clients. Some women reported calling on their batterers as they had no one else to turn to for help. Batterers being released from jail due to the flooding could have also caused an increase in the need for support services. On the other hand, the flood may have provided an opportunity for some women to leave abusive relationships.
The remaining three discussants reported on research related to the Northridge earthquake. Linda Bourque analyzed self-reported crimes, including robbery, beatings, attacks, and car wrecks, following the earthquake. A commonly-held belief has been that looting and other crimes increase after disasters. Except for the reported car wrecks and deaths, the opposite was found. In fact, it is clear that when looting does take place, it is mostly for survival, not for gain. People were too busy trying to put their lives back together to commit crimes. The analysis, however, did not lend itself to hard and fast conclusions because there is no similar data in non-disaster times for comparison.
Bob Bolin said that long-term effects of the earthquake on families, which are better known as households of people living together, depended on various dimensions of the household's composition, including race, gender, age, size, language, immigration status, female head of household, and income level. Some of these factors increased the vulnerability of the household by affecting its ability or willingness to ask for or receive assistance and to cope with the situation. While these conditions pre-dated the earthquake, they were magnified following the disaster.
Emotional injuries and suicides were also studied after Northridge. Kim Shoaf explained the study revealed that while there were no increases in suicide rates, a third of the population was emotionally injured. The injuries were generally mild and self-limiting. General fear was expressed through symptoms such as being scared, anxious, unable to sleep, and being depressed. The less educated, Blacks, and Latinos reported the most emotional injuries. The only significant increase reported after the quake, over time, was depression.
Conclusions drawn from the discussion include that while there were no identified needs for changes in policy, there is a need for existing support services to continue following a disaster. Also, it is clear that where language or other barriers exist, efforts must be made to provide access to services prior to disaster on an on-going basis. Finally, it was noted that plans for cooperation between support service providers, funding sources, and relief teams must be in place in areas susceptible to natural or human-caused hazards.
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Index of 1998 Session Summaries