Long-Term Effects of Hurricane Andrew: Revisiting Mental Health Indicators

Two population-based surveys of South Dade County, Florida, were conducted after Hurricane Andrew to compare hurricane-related symptoms of mental distress and describe the impact of mental health outreach teams. Households were selected by three-stage cluster sampling and findings from the two surveys, 13 months apart, were compared. Response rates were 75 per cent and 84 per cent. The prevalence of symptoms of mental distress decreased over time. However, in the households contacted by the teams (25 per cent of sample), the prevalence of symptoms (50 per cent) did not differ from households not contacted (43 per cent). Households contacted by teams that reported symptoms were just as likely to have been referred for help by the teams (72 per cent) as those without symptoms (68 per cent). Households reporting symptoms were equally likely to get counselling regardless of whether the teams visited. Mental health teams had no significant impact on mental health symptoms or the use of mental health services. Alternative approaches to mental health outreach teams need to be explored.     

Business closure and relocation: a comparative analysis of the Loma Prieta earthquake and Hurricane Andrew

The occurrence of a number of large‐scale disasters or catastrophes in recent years, including the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), the Kashmir earthquake (2005), Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Ike (2008), have raised our awareness regarding the devastating effects of disasters on human populations and the importance of developing mitigation and preparedness strategies to limit the consequences of such events. However, there is still a dearth of social science research focusing on the socio‐economic impact of disasters on businesses in the United States. This paper contributes to this research literature by focusing on the impact of disasters on business closure and relocation through the use of multivariate logistic regression models, specifically focusing on the Loma Prieta earthquake (1989) and Hurricane Andrew (1992). Using a multivariate model, we examine how physical damage to the infrastructure, lifeline disruption and business characteristics, among others, impact business closure and relocation following major disasters.     

Returning to normalcy in the short term: a preliminary examination of recovery from Hurricane Harvey among individuals with home damage

This study focuses on coastal counties in Texas, United States, affected by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 to gauge the influence of individual and contextual characteristics on people's ability to return to normalcy in the short term. Data from a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Episcopal Health Foundation between October and November 2017 were utilised in the analysis. The paper observes, based on the results of an ordered logistic regression, and contrary to previous work, that age, gender, levels of poverty, and social capital are not significant predictors of a return to normalcy. However, indicators such as whether a person evacuated, if he/she identified as Hispanic/Latino, the extent of damage sustained to one's home, and if one's automobile was damaged or destroyed are shown to affect recovery. A discussion of the potential reasons for these findings is provided as a means of informing future research on disaster recovery.     

Polyelectrolyte Flocculation of Waste Activated Sludge in Decanter Centrifuge Applications: Lab Evaluation by a Centrifugal Compaction Test

Abstract This article introduces a centrifugal compaction (spin tube) test to thoroughly evaluate polyelectrolyte conditioning on lab scale. In contrast to the well-known and widely applied existing tests (e.g., the beaker, the Jar settling, the free drainage, and the [sheared] capillary suction time test), the proposed spin tube test has a clear relation with the dewatering process taking place in a decanter centrifuge. First, based on the theory of centrifugal compaction, the solids stress of separate layers of sludge cake (obtained after spinning sludge in a lab centrifuge) is calculated. Next, the test was applied to assess in the lab the performance of three different polymers by evaluating the obtained sludge dryness. To verify and/or compare the results obtained with the spin tube tests, sheared capillary suction time tests were conducted and floc size distributions were analyzed. Finally, two of the three polymers evaluated in the lab were applied in the industrial sludge dewatering and drying sys...