Characteristics of Physician Relocation Following Hurricane Katrina Kusuma Madamala, PhD, MPH, Claudia R. Campbell, PhD, Edbert B. Hsu, MD, MPH, Yu-Hsiang Hsieh, PhD, MSc, and James James, MD, DrPH, MHA ABSTRACT Introduction: On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the US Gulf Coast, resulting in the evacuation of 1.5 million people, including nearly 6000 physicians. This article examines the relocation patterns of physicians following the storm, determines the impact that the disaster had on their lives and practices, and identifies lessons learned. Methods: An Internet-based survey was conducted among licensed physicians reporting addresses within Federal Emergency Management Agency– designated disaster zones in Louisiana and Missis- sippi. Descriptive data analysis was used to describe respondent characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with physician nonreturn to original practice. For those remaining relocated out of state, bivariate analysis with  2 or Fisher exact test was used to determine factors associated with plans to return to original practice. Results: A total of 312 eligible responses were collected. Among disaster zone respondents, 85.6% lived in Louisiana and 14.4% resided in Mississippi before the hurricane struck. By spring 2006, 75.6% (n = 236) of the respondents had returned to their original homes, whereas 24.4% (n = 76) remained displaced. Factors associated with nonreturn to original employment included family or general medicine practice (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.17–1.04; P = .059) and severe or complete damage to the workplace (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.13– 0.42; P  .001). Conclusions: A sizeable proportion of physicians remain displaced after Hurricane Katrina, along with a lasting decrease in the number of physicians serving in the areas affected by the disaster. Programs designed to address identified physician needs in the aftermath of the storm may give confidence to displaced physicians to return. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2007;1:21–26) Key Words: physician, disaster, hurricane, displacement O n August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the US Gulf Coast, leaving devastation in its wake. At least 1808 deaths were attributed to the storm and subsequent flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi. 1 With total damage estimates exceeding US$100 billion, Hurricane Kat- rina emerged as the costliest natural disaster in US history. 2 The scale of societal impact was likewise unprecedented, with more than 1.5 million people requiring evacuation. 1 Nearly 2 years after the storm, more than 200,000 residents remain displaced from their homes in the hardest-hit areas. 3 In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, health care infrastructure and services sustained extensive disrup- tion. Flooding in New Orleans forced a temporary shutdown of health care delivery in several parishes and led to the displacement of many local physicians from the region. By autumn 2005 nearly 6000 physi- cians had been displaced from the Gulf region by Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana was most severely af- fected; among displaced physicians, 4486 had for- merly practiced in 3 New Orleans parishes (Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard). 4 According to Gov- ernment Accountability Office statistics, only 3 of the 9 hospitals in Orleans Parish had reopened by February 2006, with a total bed capacity reduced to approximately 20% of that before the storm. 5 Among the state’s largest public hospitals, Charity Hospital still remains closed, whereas University Hospital re- opened in November 2006 with limited capacity. A major aspect of health care system recovery relates to whether displaced physicians have returned, in- tend to return, or have permanently relocated their practice. Such decisions are likely to have a direct and profound effect on the long-term reconstitution of regional health care systems in the Gulf region; however, trends of physician displacement following Hurricane Katrina have not been reported in detail. The present study sought to investigate whether Hur- ricane Katrina has resulted in a significant loss of practicing physicians from disaster-stricken regions of the Gulf Coast. The authors examine the relocation RESEARCH Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness 21