Healing and Hope in the Midst of Devastation: reflections on Katrina in the Aftermath of September 11

Abstract

This article reflects on Hurricane Katrina within the background and context of 9/11. Included are other tragedies experienced in the School of Medicine when, combined with 9/11, laid the foundation for our continued working through Katrina.

September 11—Twenty Years on: A Reflection and Review

“…The second are reflective pieces (Hart, 2002 ; Schneider, 2002 ; Simon, 2002 ). The third group were those who tried to connect it to other events in recent history be it the assassination of President Kennedy (Halligan, 2002 ) or Hurricane Katrina (Owens et al, 2011 ). A final one focused on the chaplaincy impact especially as it applied to the temporary mortuary that needed to be established at the time (Swain, 2011a), and of course, we would now ask about whether those involved then subsequently experienced PTSD and/or a moral injury.…”