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. 2011 May;30(3):247-70.
doi: 10.1080/01459740.2011.560777.

Aging disaster: mortality, vulnerability, and long-term recovery among Katrina survivors

Vincanne Adams  1 , Sharon R Kaufman, Taslim van Hattum, Sandra Moody
Affiliations

Aging disaster: mortality, vulnerability, and long-term recovery among Katrina survivors

Vincanne Adams et al. Med Anthropol. 2011 May.

Abstract

Data from this multiyear qualitative study of the effects of Hurricane Katrina and flooding in New Orleans suggest differences in how the elderly cope with disaster. At the time of the disaster, the elderly of New Orleans were at greater risk than other groups, and more elderly died than any other group during the storm and in the first year after. Those who did survive beyond the first year report coping with the long-term disaster aftermath better than the generation below them, experiencing heightened stresses, and feeling as if they are "aging" faster than they should. We offer insight on how we might define and characterize disasters, and illustrate that long-term catastrophes "age" in specific ways.

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