Katrina Survivors Relocated to Oklahoma: A Tale of Two Cities

Survivors of Hurricane Katrina who had relocated to Oklahoma and demographically matched Oklahoma City controls were assessed 17.3 months post-Katrina for psychiatric diagnoses, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and perception of physical and mental health, quality of life, and disability. Hurricane-related PTSD was diagnosed in 10 of 22 (45.5%) adult survivors and three of 11 (11%) adolescent survivors assessed, compared with PTSD rates of 31% among adult direct survivors of a 1995 terrorist bombing in the Oklahoma City community 17 months after that incident.