Hurricane Katrina and PTSD

Hurricane Katrina destroyed many things: homes, schools, families, and hearts. In Dave Egger’s book Zeitoun he explained one families journey through this natural disaster and the lasting affects it had on their psyches. Zeitoun and Kathy, the leaders of the Zeitoun family, both suffered from some version of post traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can occur after someone experiences a traumatic event that caused intense fear, helplessness, or horror.

There are four key symptoms of PTSD: reliving the event, avoiding situations that remind you of the event, feeling numb, and feeling keyed up. These factors can vary in intensity and make living a normal life extremely hard for a victim of this disorder. People with PTSD can often experience hopelessness, shame and despair and consequently become depressed or develop anxiety, alcohol or drug problems.

Both Zeitoun and Kathy exemplified symptoms of PTSD. Zeitoun had a hard time sleeping; he would stay up late thinking about people and places that have been burned into his brain from that horrible month after Hurricane Katrina. He also said that he would try to avoid driving past the Claiborne house and Greyhound Station because they held bad memories and feelings for him. Kathy had a difficult time as well, she ended up loosing basic cognitive functions like not being able to understand English, loosing feeling in her hands, memory loss, and anxiety.

One of the largest misconceptions of PTSD is that symptoms manifest immediately after a traumatic event. In many cases, it takes a month or two before symptoms are noticeable. They are usually brought forth by stress and/or old memories. Kathy and Zeitoun had a month of high stress and anxiety after the hurricane but did not feel the PTSD effects until a short time after that. Although this couple has shown signs of PTSD and is currently living in the remnants of New Orleans, the center of the disaster, neither of them has sought help.

Hurricane Katrina affected everyone. There is common social theory that exclaims that every person in the world can be connected to any other person in the world by six people, hence its name, six degrees of separation. This theory just proves my point further that this one disaster was able to affect all of America. America which is one of the leading countries in this world right now was shaken up by this fast and unstoppable force. We have experienced natural disasters before but not in a while and not with this big of an affect.

1.2 million people in the northern Gulf coast from Louisiana to Alabama were evacuated under government order, the final death toll was 1,836 people, an estimated 400,000 jobs were lost, about 275,000 homes were destroyed, 705 people are reported as still missing, and it is estimated to have cost the United States a $110 billion in damages.

Now if you don't know one of those 1.2 million people then someone you know does. This event was broadcast all over the world on every media platform because of our governments failure to help fast and efficiently from the beginning. With this disaster affecting so many people Americans were sitting at the edge of their seat waiting for the news to tell them what they wanted to hear or maybe hoping that they wouldn't hear anything at all.

The physical damages that this natural disaster cost people is nothing in comparison to the psychological damages it has created. In a paper presented in 2007, professors found that PTSD was diagnosed in over 38% of the people who came into one Emergency Department facility that they were studying in New Orleans. This is more than ten times higher than the 3.6% prevalence in the general US population.

There are good treatments available for PTSD. When you have PTSD, dealing with the past can be hard. Instead of telling others how you feel, you may keep your feelings bottled up but talking with a therapist can help you get better. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one type of counseling. It appears to be the most effective type of counseling for PTSD. In cognitive therapy, your therapist helps you understand and change how you think about a trauma and its aftermath. The goal is to understand how certain thoughts about trauma cause stress and make symptoms worse. The Zeitouns obviously are not reaching out for help but it shouldn’t be the victims having to ask for help. There should be programs and people reaching out to as many of these survivors as humanly possible. With an entire city of people who have survived through a natural disaster like this one we should be stepping up and making sure that it does not effect their psychological development for the rest of their life.

Between January 1, 2011 and March 15, 2011 there has already been 11 major natural disasters.

In just three months thousands of people all over the world have died due to these natural disasters that no one can prevent or even sometimes predict. What if the next one happens to you? PTSD is not something you can prevent either but it is something you can deal with it. There are far too many people with this disorder not getting the help that they need and that needs to change now.

Death by Silk Rope...

The recent YouTube video featuring a white UCLA student complaining about the Asian students on her campus says a lot about the way Asians are currently perceived in our country. I'm not saying she speaks for all white people or America for that matter, but it is worth noting that a lot of what she has to say is often considered common knowledge.

From her annoyances about their families being around to her mocking of the Chinese language (actually, it's not really made apparent what language she is ridiculing, nor do I believe she has the capacity to understand that there exists different languages), this isn't new material, and it's certainly not the worst I've heard.

In fact, this girl wouldn't be alone if she brought up the other stinging stereotypes that permeate a race that is the fastest growing of all major ethnic groups in the US.

I don't want to condemn this country as a place that is ill suited to accommodate multiple races, but I can't be alone in saying that there is far too heavy a reliance on past actions dictating present standards.

There is a sense of stasis in the world of racial revolution where an Asian man or an Asian woman can't be described as who they are without their ethnic prefix as a determiner, setting in motion a wave of harmful preconceptions this country has not noticed enough to change.

I could go on about how these biases pervade multiple aspects of the Asian American life, but I want to look at what I believe to be at the center of a lot of this and that is the misrepresentation of Asian genders.

Eastern ideals have always been at odds with what the West has deemed appropriate for a gender.

For Asians, solidarity and group-mindedness outweigh the importance of self. This focus on the group rather than the individual plays out in a lot of cinema. Martial arts films such as "Legend of the Fist" star a protagonist whose sole motivation for the film is vengeance for his school's fallen master and to bring back honor for himself and his school. There is seldom a love interest in the vein of Western Hollywood where macho heroics win the girl. Being heroic means self sacrifice, wisdom, and loyalty; all non-active qualities.

American heroics by contrast often include independence, bravery, and notoriety. The hero always gets the girl and something probably blows up behind him.

While analyzing conventions in Western and Eastern film is one thing, it becomes another when these notions manifest themselves into actual opinions of people who are representative of these two cultures.

America was founded on the idea of independence. Confidence and self-reliance have always marked a great man in our culture. We consider facing a task alone to be brave and noble and find that dependence can equate weakness.

Asian culture is in no way ethnically more cowardly than our Western counterparts, there just isn't the desire to make such things so public. Asian men, then, come off as meek and effeminate. Asian men are typically portrayed in Western media as number crunchers and video game nerds. The only Asian men given any sort of respect for their physical prowess are the martial artists (and sadly, they've even taken that away from us).

Perhaps it is this de-masculinization that caused Asian men to be considered the least attractive race to females in America.

Asian women, on the other hand, suffer from quite the opposite: a hyper-sexualized opinion from the West.

Madama Butterfly tells the story of Navy Lieutenant Pinkerton, stationed in Japan who, upon leasing a house, also procures a geisha wife: Cio Cio San. Despite her family's objections, the two are wed with the Lieutenant knowing full well he will one day, instead, marry a "real wife."

When Pinkerton returns to America, Cio Cio (having given birth to their child) patiently awaits her husband despite advances from a Japanese prince.

When Pinkerton finally does return, it is with his new wife. And despite Cio Cio's maddening despair, she allows this to happen with no protest. Instead, she dutifully proceeds to take her own life.

What is illustrated here is the Western male fantasy of a submissive Asian bride. It doesn't help dispel this stereotype that Madama Butterfly is the most performed play in America. It perpetuates the idea that not only will Asian women submit to their male counterpart, but that they will do so willingly even more so then they would for their own race.

The other side of this stereotype is the "Dragon Lady." This exotic figure represents the mystique embodied by "Oriental" women. They provide the fantasy of an "aggressive or opportunistic sexual being." One of the more notable types of this character was Ling Woo, portrayed by Lucy Liu in the show "Ally McBeal."

This depiction of Asian women sets forth a series of promises that they simply cannot and should not fulfill. There is a certain fetishization of the Asian female simply because she is not understood or, rather, is thought to be understood.

These stereotypes play on the dominating tendencies of the West towards the East. Consider the occupation of India by Britain or the destruction the US laid upon Japan during WWII and it's easy to see how the East is commonly viewed as something to be conquered.

I'm not illustrating these points to raise the Asian American community's racial issues above those of the African or Latino/a variety nor is this an attempt to compete to see which minority has it worse.

I believe there is a certain insight that is missing from the general American public as far as just who and what we, as Asians, signify. When all anyone sees are Asians within the stereotypes set forth by how we are portrayed, there's little room to prove people wrong. These preconceived notions of what define an Asian man or woman are setting back any sense of progress other races have made in this country.

I don't want to have to play second fiddle to Tom Cruise or the Green Hornet.

I don't want to have to be good at math and breaking boards with my fists to be considered noteworthy.

Even more, I don't want my children growing up in a world that attempts to convince them that they are less than great.

I will hold on to our one role model, though. He's brave, adventurous, kind, and resourceful. Keep it up, kid...



love matty!

New Orleans and Japan

I think I've already generated a sort of response in my head, but I wanted to bring the question up with any one who is actually reading other posts. The recent earthquake and subsequent tsunamis that have hit Japan have decimated their country in a way very similar to Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. It's hard to make too general of a statement, but I think that the recent activity in Japan will end up being much worse than Katrina. Consider the numbers. The final death toll for Katrina was estimated to be about 4,081 where Japan is already looking at 3,400 lives lost. That same article is touting the disasters in Japan to eventually cost more than Katrina as well considering only about 14-17% of Japanese residences have earthquake insurance.

Despite all of these facts and figures about which was worse, there was another comparison that I am interested in, and that's the looting that occurred in Katrina. If this is bound to be so much worse than what happened in 2005, why is the response so different? Part of my assumption lies in the cultural differences. When you compare both countries, the US' crime rate is much higher but its overall altruism when looking at how trustworthy its people are is much lower. If you look at those same questions regarding Japan, you find the opposite. I feel that there is a stronger sense of solidarity in the East as well. The Western world boasts a DIY sort of mentality where you pull yourself up by your bootstraps and do what you need to to stay afloat. That same mindset does not exist as prominently in a culture that values honor in their society.

With that being said, there is also the fact that other natural disasters have struck our country that did not result in the sort of looting we saw in Katrina. This brings up the idea of the effects of such a disaster on a community that largely lives below the poverty line. For those who still question "why did these people loot?", I think you need to start looking at it as if you were in their position. Despite the fact that you need to survive, think about the inequalities that surround you as a person living in poverty. As harsh as it may sound, looting can lead to less prosperous peoples gaining amenities they might never have dreamed of owning before. I don't mean to cast judgment upon the residents of New Orleans saying that they attempted to capitalize on the disaster, it's just that I can see justification for it on so many levels, I don't understand why the question is "why wouldn't you loot?"

Just thought this might pose some interesting discussion considering what has happened in Japan so recently.


love matty!

Awsners

I feel like during times of need people turn to faith to answer their questions or to give blame. In the entire book we see that Zeitoun believes that god has a plan. I feel that when people aren’t given a direct answer or feel like they need one, they turn to their religion or some sort of higher being to put them at ease.

I personally believe that people need a sense of hope, just like Zeitoun did during the entire time of the book. Zeitoun felt that god was the reason for the hurricane and god had sent him to help aid the cause. Zeitoun was almost like a modern day savior saving people who were trapped.

http://mediamatters.org/research/200509130004

For those who do not seek faith for answers, they seek that which threatens them the most. Since 9/11, the US was on high alert and kept a close eye on Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia because they threatened the US way of life. We tend to profile people and classify everyone based on looks, religion, and stereotypes. Because Zietoun fit the stereotypical view of “Al queda,” those who threatened the American way of life, then it seemed “right” to detain him.

Again “God” plays a huge role in the American way of life, “Under god,” a trademark placed everywhere, recited in schools, common areas, etc. Those who practice religion, because of fear, correlated the 9/11 attacks with the devil, thus making Muslims a threat. This goes both ways, those who associated with Al queda saw us as the devil, and their actions were just because god told them to.

http://www.actupny.org/YELL/falwell.html

“God has a plan.” Zietoun truly believed that god had a plan for him and believed that everything that led up to the hurricane had a purpose. He believed that he was being tested by god, because he had no answer for what has happened to his community, to his country, or what has happened to him. In the end ignorance is bliss, and we turn to that which has no answers for all the awnsers…

Blog 3

Hurricane Katrina was a stressful event, and to add to that, Zeitoun was arrested for things that he didn't do. These events are traumatic for the Zeitoun, but they prove to be traumatic for his family as well. When Kathy can't seem to find him, she definitely seems to develop anxiety. She panics a lot and doesn't really talk about how she feels or what she'd going through. She bottles up her feelings to "protect" her children. Because of all of these feelings being trapped and all the anxiety that built up over not being able to reach Zeitoun, and even perhaps being away from him, Kathy has developed PTSD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder. It commonly affects people who are in the battlefield during war, but as Kathy proves can affect people going through other traumatic events too. While reading through Zeitoun, you can see where Kathy is developing anxiety, such as when she didn't know what to tell her children, which leads to her PTSD.
Despite all the things he went through, Zeitoun manages to keep his calm collected self. Rather than develop PTSD he developed what he called "heartbreak" from being apart from his family. Being reunited with his family made the pain he was having in his side miraculously disappear. He also managed to take care of other health issues in a rather MacGyver way, such as the metal splinter in his foot that he removes with shards of a Tabasco bottle. It's rather ingenious I thought, but unfortunate that he wasn't able to receive medical attention simply due to neglect. He also proactively tries to get medical attention for his side, and is neglected once again from the doctor. Perhaps if it were a more serious issue the doctor would have looked at it.
Both Kathy and Zeitoun have proven to be strong individuals, but with Kathy's PTSD I'm surprised that they had another baby. Perhaps Kathy also has postpartum depression too? Maybe if Kathy hadn't kept her feelings inside, and had told her friends and gotten support, she wouldn't have PTSD? There are studies currently going on for the prevention of PTSD and it shows that reducing anxiety can help the prevention of PTSD. I'm also curious if there were any lasting affects on the children, aside from having to be more proactive around the house. The stress of being away from a parent can be hard on a child, and these kids didn't even know where their father was.
This book was an interesting read, and I'm glad I read it. I feel like even though there was a large population of people who were misrepresented, Zeitoun definitely had a point of view, and a different perspective of what happened during Katrina than others.

By now it is well documented how horribly our government handled Hurricane Katrina. FEMA's delayed response in rescue and relief was embarrassing for this country and devastating for the residents of the New Orleans. FEMA knew such events could take place in New Orleans, and in fact had devised some sort of plan to prepare themselves to aid such an event all the way back in 2001! Clearly their plan failed. FEMA knew of 3 catastrophes that could strike the United States: a terrorist attack on New York City, a large earthquake in San Francisco, and a hurricane striking New Orleans. The New York Times reported that FEMA believed Hurricane Katrina could be the deadliest of the all, yet they clearly did not prepare themselves properly for such an event.

There are countless stories on how FEMA failed the people of New Orleans, one could go on forever bashing their incompetency. One small example is one that also relates to Zeitoun and is still effecting peoples lives today. Though it is only a brief snippet in the whole debacle Zeitoun went through I think its still worth mentioning. FEMA offered and delivered the Zeitoun's a free trailer for which to live, or use however they would like. Yet, they were virtually given a gigantic trailer to stare at as it was not set up properly and were issued no keys to enter the 'home'. After 14 months of countless phone calls trying to resolve the issue, Kathy wrote a story to a local paper and the trailer was removed immediately, unused.

That story seems almost meaningless when you take into account the entire situation Zeitoun and his family went through; the reason I use it is because it is something that has come in the news recently. FEMA has issued the last 424 tenants of these trailers to be out of them by the end of April. I didn't know there was timeline for recovery... Unlike the Zeitoun's, some families in New Orleans and the surrounding areas have not completely rebuilt their lives or homes. The trailers are the only home these people have for the time being. Yes, it has been 5 years since this disaster but it may take some longer to rebuild than others. FEMA is stating that they will fine (or charge) anyone not out of the trailer by the scheduled date $800 a month. In fact, the city of New Orleans has taken a similar policy, saying they will charge the remaining trailers in their city $500 a day. Some families can't afford to rebuild and move out during this timeline and now they are threatening to charge them money? Unbelievable. I could understand if these families were free loading, and heck maybe some are, but we are not that far removed from Hurricane Katrina. Yes, some of positive has come to New Orleans since: a Super Bowl title and still being one of the hottest tourist destinations. Some families have not fully recovered from this event and should not be rushed to do so.

Zeitoun Blog 3

For this blog I am going to take the psychological lens, specifically talking about PTSD. I started this blog on Thursday evening, about one paragraph in my friend left my apartment after a night of studying together, within 3 minutes of her leaving she called me to tell me to turn on the news. I live three blocks away from Ocean Beach on Sloat and she lives two blocks away from Ocean Beach off of Lincoln Street. I proceeded to watch the news until about 1:30 am. All I could get out of the media was Hawaii was freaking out and the west coast wasn’t technically on Tsunami watch “yet”. I semi freaked out until my boyfriend called me to tell me I was being silly and that nothing would happen other than maybe Sammy (my car) getting a little wet. I went to bed reassured that my apartment would still be there when I woke up. Around 5:30 am I get a call from my mother, frantically asking questions, “Where are you? Are you ok? Are you coming to Sonoma? Are you being evacuated?”. The rest of the morning was pretty much the same, phone calls and text from family and friends asking if I was ok, needed somewhere to go, and if I was prepared. Well we all saw how that worked out, we got some high waves at the beach and that’s about it. The whole point of this story is that if this had gone on for days, the fear inside of you or your loved ones -- I do not if I would be able to handle it. Also if the “Tsunami” would have actually hit us in the bay area and something were to happen to my home what would happen then? Well the dreams/nightmares I had that morning gave me plenty to imagine from but thankfully I still have not had to go through anything so traumatic.

Now back to the book, Zeitoun like many of the other thousands of people affected by Hurricane Katrina suffered a devastating loss of loved ones, homes, schools and so much more. Loosing any part of your life is hard but to loose it all can have a lasting affect on a person. The people affected by this hurricane saw some terrible things happen right in front of their eyes and sometimes to people they knew. Post traumatic stress syndrome is an anxiety disorder that can occur after someone experiences a traumatic event that caused intense fear, helplessness, or horror.

I am hoping that you all have finished the book by now so I will not be ruining anything but it was clear that Kathy was suffering from PTSD and it was having very strong effects on her. She was loosing herself because of the mental strain Hurricane Katrina had put on her and unfortunately if she doesn’t receive help she will only get worse. I have taken more than my fair share of psychology classes and PTSD seems to be one of the most curious disorders. PTSD can come in all shapes and sizes and be caused by a variety of different experiences’. After reading this book you would think that Zeitoun would be the one who has such a hard time adjusting back to a normal life, the man went through starvation, prison, and a hurricane. I believe that the reason why Zeitoun was not as mentally damaged by this event as Kathy is because he had hope through out the entire experience. He believed that it all would work out in the end. On the other hand Kathy was frantic in trying to find her husband and in having to answer to his family and even had started to prepare herself for her life without him. Zeitouns personality and way at looking at life has kept him from going down a dark whole and although he still has issues they have not overtaken him, unfortunately that is not the case for Kathy.