Tropical Storm Allison rapid needs assessment — Houston, Texas, June 2001

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 3, 2002

TABLE 1

Number and percentage of households affected by Tropical Storm Allison,
by selected variables and area of residence -- Houston, Texas, June 16,
2001

                                       Area A            Area B
                                      (n=210)           (n=210)
Variable                         No.       (%)       No.       (%)

Dwelling type

 Single family                  197       (93.8)    192       (91.4)
 Duplex/Fourplex                  5       ( 2.4)     12       ( 5.7)
 Apartment                        2       ( 1.0)      4       ( 1.9)
 Mobile home (*)                  1       ( 0.5)      1       ( 0.5)
 Unknown                          5       ( 2.4)      1       ( 0.5)

Flooding                         84       (40.0)     53       (25.2)

Home damage ( )                  88       (41.9)     61       (29.0)

 Currently habitable (ss)        67       (76.1)     49       (80.3)
 Uninhabitable but               21       (23.9)     11       (18.0)
  repairable (ss)
 Destroyed (ss)                   0       ( 0.0)      1       ( 1.6)

One or more nights               36       (17.1)     21       (10.0)
 away from home

Service disruption

 Telephone                       60       (28.6)     78       (37.1)
 Sewerage                        32       (15.2)     31       (14.8)
 Electricity                     28       (13.3)     33       (15.7)
 Natural gas supply              24       (11.4)      0       ( 9.5)
 Water                           17       ( 8.1)      6       ( 2.9)

Immediate need

 Mosquito control                12       ( 5.7)     23       (11.0)
 Pharmacy access                 14       ( 6.7)     12       ( 5.7)
 New household furnishings (n)   17       ( 8.1)      5       ( 2.4)
 Medical access                  14       ( 6.7)      8       ( 3.8)
 Shelter                         12       ( 5.7)      8       ( 3.8)
 Food                            11       ( 5.2)      6       ( 2.9)
 Home/roof/foundation repair     11       ( 5.2)      5       ( 2.4)
 Clothing                         9       ( 4.3)      5       ( 2.4)
 Transportation                   7       ( 3.3)      4       ( 1.9)
 Drainage assistance              2       ( 1.0)      8       ( 3.8)
 Financial assistance             5       ( 2.4)      3       ( 1.4)
 Heavy trash pick-up              3       ( 1.4)      5       ( 2.4)
 Other (**)                      14       ( 6.7)      3       ( 1.4)
Damaged vehicle(s)               58       (27.6)     30       (14.3)

                                     Total
                                    (n=420)
Variable                         No.       (%)

Dwelling type

 Single family                  389       (92.6)
 Duplex/Fourplex                 17       ( 4.0)
 Apartment                        6       ( 1.4)
 Mobile home (*)                  2       ( 0.5)
 Unknown                          6       ( 1.4)

Flooding                        137       (32.6)

Home damage ( )                 149       (35.5)

 Currently habitable (ss)       116       (77.9)
 Uninhabitable but               32       (21.5)
  repairable (ss)
 Destroyed (ss)                   1       ( 0.7)

One or more nights               57       (13.6)
 away from home

Service disruption

 Telephone                       138      (32.9)
 Sewerage                        63       (15.0)
 Electricity                     61       (14.5)
 Natural gas supply              44       (10.5)
 Water                           23       ( 5.5)

Immediate need

 Mosquito control                35       ( 8.3)
 Pharmacy access                 26       ( 6.2)
 New household furnishings (n)   22       ( 5.2)
 Medical access                  22       ( 5.2)
 Shelter                         20       ( 4.8)
 Food                            17       ( 4.0)
 Home/roof/foundation repair     16       ( 3.8)
 Clothing                        14       ( 3.3)
 Transportation                  11       ( 2.6)
 Drainage assistance             10       ( 2.4)
 Financial assistance             8       ( 1.9)
 Heavy trash pick-up              8       ( 1.9)
 Other (**)                      17       ( 4.0)
Damaged vehicle(s)               88       (21.0)

(*)Uninhabitable homes (especially mobile homes, which are very
vulnerable to disaster effects) might be underrepresented because
residents were not present.

( )Total reporting damage is more than total reporting floodwaters in
the home because some households might have reported a flood-damaged
garage or rainwater leakage through roof in the absence of floodwaters
in the home.

(ss)Percentages calculated by using the number of homes damaged (area A,
area B, and total, respectively) as denominator.

(n)Refrigerator, water heater, furniture, mattresses, or carpet.

(**)Disability, mold problems, septic/sewage system repair, rodent
control, price gouging, 911 problems, or clean-up.
TABLE 2

Number and percentage of households with one or more persons reporting
illness or injury within 1 week after Tropical Storm Allison, by flood
status of home -- Houston, Texas, June 16, 2001

                                     Flooded            Nonflooded
                                 (n=137)            (n=283)
Condition                          No.       (%)      No.       (%)

Illness                            35     (25.5)      19      (6.7)
 Diarrhea/Stomach condition        15     (10.9)       9      (3.2)
 Respiratory symptoms/Cold         14     (10.2)       7      (2.5)
 Headache/Dizziness                10     ( 7.3)       4      (1.4)
 Anxiety/Distress                   5     ( 3.6)       0      (0.0)
 Heart attack/Heart problems        4     ( 2.9)       0      (0.0)
 Chronic illness made worse         3     ( 2.2)       0      (0.0)
 Undefined generalized illness      1     ( 0.7)       1      (0.4)
 Sleep disturbance/Nightmare       12     ( 8.8)       2      (7.1)
 Rash                               2     ( 1.5)       2      (0.7)
 Allergies                          0     ( 0.0)       1      (0.4)
Injury                             11     ( 8.0)       6      (2.1)
 Fall                               2     ( 1.5)       0      (0.0)
 Blunt injury                       1     ( 0.7)       0      (0.0)
 Insect bite                        3     ( 2.2)       0      (0.0)
 Abrasion/Cut/Puncture              2     ( 1.5)       3      (1.1)
 Auto accident                      0     ( 0.0)       1      (0.4)
 Other undefined injury             1     ( 0.7)       0      (0.0)
 Animal bite                        2     ( 1.5)       2      (0.7)



Condition                        OR (*)     (95% CI ( )  p value (ss)

Illness                            4.7     (1.8- 12.0)   <0.001
 Diarrhea/Stomach condition        6.2     (1.4- 28.0)    0.017
 Respiratory symptoms/Cold         3.2     (0.9- 10.9)    0.046
 Headache/Dizziness                4.4     (0.8- 25.6)    0.056
 Anxiety/Distress               undefined   undefined     0.059
 Heart attack/Heart problems    undefined   undefined     0.059
 Chronic illness made worse     undefined   undefined     0.134
 Undefined generalized illness  undefined   undefined     0.149
 Sleep disturbance/Nightmare       3.3     (0.5- 22.3)    0.240
 Rash                              6.0     (0.2-149.6)    0.286
 Allergies                      undefined   undefined     0.527
Injury                             1.9      (0.4- 8.4)    0.463
 Fall                           undefined   undefined     0.153
 Blunt injury                   undefined   undefined     0.387
 Insect bite                    undefined   undefined     0.394
 Abrasion/Cut/Puncture             0.4      (0.0- 8.1)    0.596
 Auto accident                  undefined   undefined     0.683
 Other undefined injury         undefined   undefined     0.683
 Animal bite                       1.0     (0.1- 20.0)    1.000

(*)Odds ratio.

( )Confidence interval.

(ss)Analysis of odds ratio, confidence interval, and p value stratified
by census tract.