OBJECTIVES: To assess the population prevalence of property, income and emotional impacts of the 2010-2011 Queensland floods and cyclones. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional telephone-based survey using a brief trauma exposure and impact screening instrument, conducted between 11 March and 6 June 2011, of 6104 adults who answered natural disaster and mental health questions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Natural disaster property damage exposure and emotional wellbeing impacts. RESULTS: Two-thirds of respondents (62%) reported being affected by the disasters, with property damage exposure ranging from 37.2% (suburb or local area) to 9.2% (own home, with 2.1% living elsewhere at least temporarily). Income was reduced for 17.0% of respondents and 11.7% of income-producing property owners reported damage to those properties. Trauma impacts ranged from 14.3% of respondents feeling "terrified, helpless or hopeless" to 3.9% thinking they might be "badly injured or die". Up to 5 months after the disasters, 7.1% of respondents were "still distressed" and 8.6% were "worried about how they would manage". Adults of working age and residents of regional and remote areas and of socioeconomically disadvantaged areas were disproportionately likely to report exposure to damage and emotional impacts. CONCLUSIONS: Weather-related disasters exact a large toll on the population through property damage and resultant emotional effects. Vulnerable subpopulations are more severely affected. There is a need for realistic, cost-effective and rapid-deployment mass interventions in the event of weather disasters.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the population prevalence of property, income and emotional impacts of the 2010-2011 Queensland floods and cyclones. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional telephone-based survey using a brief trauma exposure and impact screening instrument, conducted between 11 March and 6 June 2011, of 6104 adults who answered natural disaster and mental health questions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Natural disaster property damage exposure and emotional wellbeing impacts. RESULTS: Two-thirds of respondents (62%) reported being affected by the disasters, with property damage exposure ranging from 37.2% (suburb or local area) to 9.2% (own home, with 2.1% living elsewhere at least temporarily). Income was reduced for 17.0% of respondents and 11.7% of income-producing property owners reported damage to those properties. Trauma impacts ranged from 14.3% of respondents feeling "terrified, helpless or hopeless" to 3.9% thinking they might be "badly injured or die". Up to 5 months after the disasters, 7.1% of respondents were "still distressed" and 8.6% were "worried about how they would manage". Adults of working age and residents of regional and remote areas and of socioeconomically disadvantaged areas were disproportionately likely to report exposure to damage and emotional impacts. CONCLUSIONS: Weather-related disasters exact a large toll on the population through property damage and resultant emotional effects. Vulnerable subpopulations are more severely affected. There is a need for realistic, cost-effective and rapid-deployment mass interventions in the event of weather disasters.
Authors: Suzanne King; Sue Kildea; Marie-Paule Austin; Alain Brunet; Vanessa E Cobham; Paul A Dawson; Mark Harris; Elizabeth M Hurrion; David P Laplante; Brett M McDermott; H David McIntyre; Michael W O'Hara; Norbert Schmitz; Helen Stapleton; Sally K Tracy; Cathy Vaillancourt; Kelsey N Dancause; Sue Kruske; Nicole Reilly; Laura Shoo; Gabrielle Simcock; Anne-Marie Turcotte-Tremblay; Erin Yong Ping Journal: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth Date: 2015-05-06 Impact factor: 3.007
Authors: Ana Fernandez; John Black; Mairwen Jones; Leigh Wilson; Luis Salvador-Carulla; Thomas Astell-Burt; Deborah Black Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-04-10 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Veronica Matthews; Jo Longman; Helen L Berry; Megan Passey; James Bennett-Levy; Geoffrey G Morgan; Sabrina Pit; Margaret Rolfe; Ross S Bailie Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2019-12-06
Authors: Veronica Matthews; Jo Longman; James Bennett-Levy; Maddy Braddon; Megan Passey; Ross S Bailie; Helen L Berry Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-10-21 Impact factor: 3.390