Att M - Brochure

Evaluating Long-Term Health Effects
of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
How can I learn more about
the Study?

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Many local community organizations, private
businesses, churches and other religious
institutions, as well as community leaders in
your neighborhood are working with KARHE
to share information about the Study.
You may also visit our website at
www.KARHEregistry.org,
or speak with a KARHE team member by calling
our toll-free telephone number at
1-xxx-xxx-xxxx.

H

urricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast more than five years ago, yet the region is
still experiencing many of the effects of the storms. As a result of the Storms, many families
were displaced and moved into Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-supplied

trailers. Since that time, residents have expressed concerns about the air quality and the potential
health effects associated with exposure to formaldehyde and other chemicals, as a result of having
stayed in the trailers.

www.KARHE.org

What is the Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita Housing Exposures (KARHE)
Registry?
The KARHE is a Registry of individuals who stayed in
FEMA-supplied trailers after the Storms. Those who enroll
will be asked to take part in a 40-minute telephone survey
about their health. The KARHE will allow researchers and
the communities involved to understand the possible impact
of exposure to chemicals on Gulf Coast residents who
stayed in the trailers.

Who are the sponsors?
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR) is a federal public health agency of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. ATSDR serves
the public by using the best science, taking responsive public
health actions, and providing trusted health information to
prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic
substances. It accomplishes this by performing a variety
of functions, including conducting health surveillance and
creating registries like KARHE, to determine the effect on
public health of hazardous substances in the environment.

Even if you have been healthy since Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita, it is important for you to take part. In order to have
a full and accurate picture of any long-term effects related
to exposure to chemicals from living or staying in FEMAsupplied trailers, people who have been healthy as well as
those who have been ill are strongly encouraged to take
part in KARHE.

KARHE is being conducted by RTI International (RTI), a nonprofit research organization and leader in children’s health
research RTI International, a non-profit research firm, will
conduct telephone surveys for the KARHE.

The KARHE is the first step in creating a Registry of all
individuals who stayed in a FEMA-supplied trailer as a
result of the Hurricanes. During this first part of the Study,
we will enroll up to 5,000 eligible individuals in Louisiana,
Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama. Because many people
left the area in the years after the Storms, this first part of
the Study will help us determine if enough eligible people
can be found and if they are willing to participate in the
KARHE. If this first part of the Study is successful, a full-study
can then be done for which many more people will be
enrolled.

KARHE is being conducted by Research Triangle Institute
(RTI), a nonprofit research organization and leader in
children’s health research.

What is the purpose of the Registry
and how will it be used?
We do not know if there are any long-term health effects
on those who stayed in FEMA-supplied trailers. The KARHE
was created to understand the possible health effects related
to having stayed in the trailers. By enrolling, you play an
important part in helping us understand the full impact
associated with possible exposures to formaldehyde and
other toxic substances among people who resided in the
trailers.

Who can participate?

RTI International will be calling individuals to request
participation in the KARHE. If you are eligible and agree to
enroll, an interviewer will ask you a series of questions over
the phone. The interview takes about 40 minutes. Some of
the questions will include:

Those who lived in trailers are strongly encouraged to enroll.
2005

August 29, 2005—Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near

2006

July 1, 2006—New population estimates by the U.S. Census

Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, with 125 mph winds, as a strong Category
3 storm. The levees begin to fail, with 28 reported levee failures in the
first 24 hours. Nearly every levee in metro New Orleans is breached
as Hurricane Katrina passes just east of the city limits. The major levee
breaches, which include the 17th Street Canal, the London Avenue Canal,
and Industrial Canal, leave approximately 80% of the city flooded.
Bureau population show a decline of 219,563 or 4.87% of the state of
Louisiana’s pre-Katrina population.
August 2006—HBO releases “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem
in Four Acts,” a four-hour documentary by director, Spike Lee, that
chronicles the events leading up to Katrina, as well as its immediate
aftermath.

2007

“Forever New Orleans” campaign is launched by the city’s Convention
and Visitors Bureau.
August, 2007—New Orleans officials break ground on a memorial

honoring the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

2008

Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States.

2009

June 2009—27 of 39 hospitals in New Orleans have reopened.

2010

February 7, 2010—New Orleans Saints win the Superbowl!

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Will my information be kept
private?
Yes. All information you provide will be kept private. The
KARHE will not share your personal information with
anyone outside of the Study. All published information about
KARHE will be in summary form only.

March 30, 2010—260 families are still living in FEMA-provided

trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi.
August 2010—Director Spike Lee releases a sequel documentary,
“If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise,” to mark the 5th anniversary
of Katrina’s arrival and the status of New Orleans and the Gulf region
five years after the storm.

Where were you?