S20 - Public Health and Environmental Impact Assessments in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Macleod A
Organizers: Angelo DePaola and Marlene E. Janes
Convenors: Marlene E. Janes

8:30 Impact of 2005 Hurricanes on Louisiana’s Seafood Industry and Public Health — JON BELL, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

9:00 Potential Effects on Human and Ecosystem Health from Short-term Contamination of Coastal Beaches and Freshwater Systems by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita —DONNA MYERS, USGS, Reston, VA, USA

9:30 Pollutant Concentration Changes in Environmental Samples Associated with 2005 Hurricanes — GUNNAR LAUENSTEIN, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, MD, USA

10:00 Break

10:30 FDA Assessment of Seafood Safety in Louisiana in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 2005 — ROBERT DICKEY, FDA-Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory, Dauphin Island, AL, USA

11:00 Eye of the Storm: Impact of 2005 Hurricanes on Gulf Coast Oyster Harvest and Human Vibrio Illnesses — JOHN PAINTER, CDC–CID, Atlanta, GA, USA

11:30 Panel Discussion

Abstract
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused extensive damage in the central Gulf States region in August and September of 2005. High winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge associated with the hurricanes, and the de-watering of New Orleans into Lake Pontchartrain in their aftermath, were causes for national concern for the welfare of the affected population and the coastal ecosystems. Secondary only to human safety and welfare, concerns about the environmental impact of possible widespread industrial and wastewater contamination in the region resulted in the mobilization of State and Federal public health and environmental health agencies. The agencies coordinated public health and environmental impact assessments of biological conditions, fisheries, water quality, sediment quality, seafood safety and human-health risks in coastal ecosystems of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. This effort characterized the magnitude and extent of coastal contamination and ecological effects resulting from the unprecedented storms. This symposium provides a brief description of the various components of this comprehensive, coordinated, interagency effort.