Mitigating Health Disparities After Natural Disasters Lessons from The RISK Project

The Resilience in Survivors of Katrina (RISK) project examined 15 years of data specific to 1,109 low-income, primarily Black parents to determine the short- and long-term effects of disasters on vulnerable populations. The study authors categorized their findings into five priorities: primary prevention of disaster exposure (and associated trauma); improve post-disaster health care; integrate social services; aid survivors in social support and community building; and provide targeted, long-term services for highly affected survivors.