Hurricane Katrina and Children: NCTSN in the Media

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, NCCTS issued three news releases: on how the displacement was going to impact children; on Psychological First Aid; and, on how lessons from 9/11 were being applied to Hurricane Katrina.

On average, National Center staff worked with about one dozen reporters per day during the two weeks following the crisis. Collectively, NCTSN members worked with an estimated two to three dozen reporters per day. Many news stories covered child trauma issues well, and many included quotes from NCTSN members, reference to NCCTS or NCTSN, and our messages.

National media include the New York Times , USA Today , NPR Morning Edition, NPR Talk of the Nation, ABC World News Tonight, and CNN. Importantly, we were included in several stories reaching target populations via the New Orleans Times Picayune and the Houston Chronicle.

One Associated Press story ("Katrina's Trauma on Kids Concerns Experts") was published in at least 50 newspapers around the country on September 10, and dozens of web sites, including the New

York Times, New York Newsday, the Miami Herald,Los Angeles Times, the New Orleans Times Picayune, the Seattle Post Intelligencer, the Biloxi Herald, Kansas City Star, CNN.com, CNNInternational.com, MSNBC.com, and InteliHealth.com.

Other unique news stories quoting TDB staff were published in Cox Newspapers, Media General and Scripps Howard newspapers around the country. In addition, original stories addressing child trauma and the hurricane were published by ABCnews.com; the Houston Chronicle, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Denver Post, Detroit News, the Durham Herald-Sun, Psychiatric News, and "Mental Health Weekly."

Many organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the Child Welfare League of America, posted NCTSN information on their websites and linked their websites to www.NCTSN.org .

For more information, contact Patrick Cody, NCCTS media consultant, at codycom@earthlink.net or 202-965-0580.