DDH_ICONS Hurricane Katrina

Kiersta Kurtz-Burke and Justin Lundgren

It was probably the biggest leap of faith of my life.

If you are experiencing emotional distress or other mental health concerns after a disaster, the Disaster Distress Helpline is here for you 24/7/365.

1-800-985-5990

For Deaf and Hard of Hearing ASL Users: Please text or call using your preferred Relay provider. For more resources, click here.

For Spanish: Call or text and press “2”. For more resources, click here.

Para Español: Llame o envíe un mensaje de texto al 1-800-985-5990 y oprima el número 2. Para más recursos, haga clic aquí.

As Hurricane Katrina approached, patients at Charity Hospital, which had been in operation for nearly 300 years, grew increasingly anxious that they might be left behind. Dr. Kiersta Kurtz-Burke focused on keeping her patients informed and calm, but eventually had to help them evacuate by putting them on boats.