Utilizing Professional PractitionersThe Role of the Professional Social Worker

14th Annual EMI Higher Education ConferenceEmmetsburg, Maryland

Dr. Tom OsowskiDr. Alan BougereDr. Tim Rehner

Presentation Outline

• Context of disasters in Mississippi

• Disasters in Mississippi

• Research

• Lessons learned

• Involvement of Professional Practitioners

A Mississippi Context• 2.967 million residents

• 60.5 white• 37.2 black

• 20.8 ↓ poverty line/13.2 in US

• Rapid ↑Hispanic/Latino– Large long term Vietnamese

population on coast

– SOURCE: 2010 US Census/MS State Demography Information

South Mississippi• Defined: South of I -20

• Approximately 1.8 million people

• Heavily forested, rolling hills – suburban spread

• Home to states largest cities: Jackson, Gulfport/Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Pascagoula

Coastal Mississippi

• 3 coastal counties, half million people.

• Tourism - casinos• Ship-building• Fishing• Healthcare• Aerospace engineering• Stennis Space Center– YEP, we design rocket

engines!

Mississippi Coastal Topography• Flat! Gentle rise starting

about 10 miles inland

• 65 miles: Hattiesburg, approx 135’ above sea level

• Western Delta, natural flood plain. Highest point 807’ Woodall Mountain! (246 metres)

University of Southern Mississippi

• Only research university in South Mississippi

• Dual campus university– Hattiesburg (14,000)– Coast (3,000)

• Approximately 17,000 students.

USM – Gulf Coast Campus• Located on beach front

property! – Long Beach, MS

• Highest point about 30’• Marine Science, Nursing and

Business – largest majors. (on coast site)

• 5 additional off campus coastal teaching sites: Stennis Space Center, Keesler AFB, Gulfport, Point Cadet, Ocean Springs Research Labs

South Mississippi: Disaster Target• FOUR MAJOR DISASTERS

• 1. 1969: Hurricane Camille

• 2. 1996: Methylparathion (Cotton Poisoning)

• 3. 2005: Hurricane Katrina

• 4. 2010: BP Oil Release

1969 Hurricane Camille

• August 17 (BSL/PC)• Cat 5 landfall/200+mph

winds• 143 people died on coast• $1.42 billion damage

(1969 dollars)• Results in closure of Gulf

Park College for Women – will become USM – Gulf Coast Campus.

1996: Methylparathion Disaster• MP: agricultural pesticide

to control insects. Works well on roaches also!

• Early 1980’s – 1995, sprayed in over 1800 structures (1,777 homes)

• Clean-up $69 million, economic impact $100 million.

• Largest single-year EPA payout on toxic clean-up.

August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina

• 1,836 people died• Category 3 Hurricane• Came ashore MS/LA border

– similar area as Camille, 36 years earlier.

• 30’ tidal surge coastal MS• 90% of all MS coastal

community structures damaged/destroyed

• 100% of USM – GC facilities damaged!

April 20, 2010: BP Oil Release

• 11 killed/17 injured

• 7/15/2010 capped• 4.9 million barrels into

Gulf• Destruction of marine

habitat, shoreline and coastal economy.

• LA/MS major economic losses

Research

• After Methylparathion

• 10/1 – 12/20 1997• 115 households/1242

contaminated• CES-D: 19.92/16 clinical• ↑ need MH services• ↑ role for S Workers• ↓ community adaptation• SOURCE: Rehner, T, (et al). 2000 Depression Among Victims of Methyl

Parathion Disaster in South Mississippi

• After BP Oil Release

• 10/30 – 11/6, 2010• 361 randomly selected

households, S of I -10• CES-D: 6.69/16 clinical

• CES-D scores higher for impacted persons!

• ↑ need for children’s MH• Proximity/stacked disasters.• Perception of disaster• SOURCE: Osowski T. (et all). Forthcoming:. “Descriptive and Inferential Statistics of the BP

Oil Disaster”.

Research

• Summary of three research papers:

• Proximity to disaster• Previous exposure to disaster – stacked disasters• Pre-existing health/mental health conditions• Economic resources• Households with pre-school children• Speed of disaster (slow moving vs sudden)• SOURCE: Osowski T. (et all) Forthcoming. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics of Children BP Oil Disaster. Osowski, T (et al) Forthcoming. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics of BP

Oil Disaster. Osowski, T (et al). Forthcoming: Community Resilience of a Disaster following the BP Oil Spill.

Tangible Lessons Learned

• For USM – Gulf Coast• Overall disaster plan

effective!

• Critical infrastructure• Off site data storage• 72 – 48 – 24

Tangible Lessons Learned• USM – Hattiesburg

• Disaster plan, not entirely effective!

• Evacuate students within 48 – 72 hour window.

• Prepare for utility failure of more than 48 hours.

• Electronic door locks!

Tangible lessons learned

• 4,000 students remained in campus housing – no water. Immediate sewage issues.

• No electricity/no water = no food service!• 4,000 students no activities, no air conditioning –

HIGH potential for violence!• Evacuees from coast and NOLA arriving on campus

seeking shelter.• Parents arriving to “take home their babies”• Campus is almost impossible to truly secure!

Tangible lessons learned

• Not enough “outside EM” people involved in disaster plan.

• People assuming what other agencies can provide.

• FEMA money helpful…..2005 FEMA policies hindered rapid recovery.

• What is role of a university in a disaster?• Research……immeasurable losses of data and

research projects.

Tangible lessons learned

• Clean-up and restoration is EASY – Recovery is long-term and HARD!

• Involve human professionals in planning, social workers, nurses, along with traditional EM planners.

Involvement of Professional Practitioners

• There is NOTHING that occurs during a disaster that social workers do not deal with EVERYDAY:

• Loss of housing• Loss of job• Spousal abuse• Economic issues• Substance Abuse• Crisis Counseling• Dealing with uncertainty and stress• Connecting client need with existing services• Utilizing NGO’s and Government Services

Professional Practitioners

• Your neighbors

• Before the Storm

• During the Storm

• After the Storm

USM Campus Emergency

• Directed by Chief of Police

• Involvement of Counseling Center/Student Health and others as needed.

• Information Officer: PR….needs ongoing• Crisis Plans: only as good as people knowing how to

respond• CARES team• Incident debriefing

What Southern Miss is still not good at dealing with!

Video

• The Southern Miss Story: Hurricanes, Depression and State Politics:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z--6nAEEAO4

Questions? Comments, DONATIONS!!

• Dr. Tom Osowski

• School of Social Work• 730 East Beach BLVD• Long Beach MS 39560• 228-214-3262• tom.osowski@usm.edu