Residents Of Houston Research Articles

Depression and PTSD among Houston Residents who Experienced Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19: Implications for Urban Areas Affected by Multiple Disasters.

Little is known about the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other major disasters on mental health. Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast in 2017, resulting in substantial costs, significant levels of displacement, and approximately 100 deaths, and was followed in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. We randomly sampled 1167 Houstonians from 88 designated super-neighborhoods and surveyed them about their demographics, event-specific traumas and stressors, and symptoms of current depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We estimated the prevalence of depression (5.8%) and PTSD (12.6%) more than three years after Hurricane Harvey, and assessed the relative influence of event-specific stressors and traumas on current mental health. Overall, we observed evidence for two key findings that are salient for residents of urban environments in the context of multiple disasters. First, stressors were primary influences on depression, whereas both stressors and traumas influenced PTSD. Second, the influences of stressors and traumas on depression and PTSD symptoms faded with time.

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in a sample of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Houston residents.

COVID-19 vaccination has averted a significant number of deaths in the United States, but vaccination hesitancy continues to be a problem. Therefore, examining vaccination acceptance and/or hesitancy in local communities is critical. A quantitative survey and a multivariable logistic regression model was utilized to determine predictors of COVID-19 vaccination in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) origin Houston residents. The outcome of interest was COVID-19 vaccination status (vaccinated versus not vaccinated). Covariates included: demographics, health, and COVID-19 factors. Statistical analyses included SAS version 9.4 at a priori significance level of 0.05. The overall vaccine acceptance rate was significantly high in this population subset (N = 366), with 77.60% vaccinated, and 22.40% not vaccinated. MENA individuals with some college degrees were less likely to report vaccination than those with a graduate degree [Odds Ratio (OR): 0.18; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.04, 0.77]. Homeowners were more likely to get vaccinated than renters (OR: 2.58; 95%CI: 1.17, 5.68). Individuals practicing Islamic faith were more likely to get vaccinated than other religious affiliations (OR: 3.26; 95%CI: 1.15, 9.19). Individuals with hypertension were less likely to get vaccinated than those without it (OR: 0.34; 95%CI: 0.13, 0.92), and those with anxiety were more likely to get vaccinated than those without anxiety (OR: 4.23; 95%CI: 1.68, 10.64). Health status, education level, financial stability, and religious affiliation are some of the determining factors that potentially influence vaccination acceptance/hesitancy among the MENA community.

A Military History of Texas by Loyd Uglow

Reviewed by: A Military History of Texas by Loyd Uglow Christopher M. Rein A Military History of Texas. By Loyd Uglow. War and the Southwest Series. (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2022. Pp. xiv, 433. $34.95, ISBN 978-1-57441-865-1.) While the state flag of Nevada bears the phrase “Battle Born,” Loyd Uglow’s A Military History of Texas demonstrates that the appellation applies equally to the Lone Star State. Long a contested borderland between various Indigenous peoples and European colonizers, the modern state of Texas is very much a creation of the series of nineteenth-century wars and irregular conflicts that defined its modern borders, privileged certain groups of immigrants, and determined its current form of government. The author clearly demonstrates that Texas’s history is military history, and that military conflict has been instrumental in the formation of modern Texas. Uglow organizes his work chronologically, moving from pre-Columbian warfare to Texas’s involvement in current conflicts, and he relies almost exclusively on secondary sources, as is necessary for a work of this breadth. With a few exceptions, these sources are well chosen and represent the most current literature in the field. The nineteenth century dominates the work, reflecting both the author’s interests and the role the various wars of that period had in carving the Republic of Texas out of Mexico, attaching it to the United States, [End Page 165] and depopulating the state of the Indigenous peoples who had lived there for centuries. Uglow provides a straightforward accounting of events, with some bias shown toward the declared wars and set-piece battles that dominate traditional military history, though there is some attention in later chapters to irregular warfare and the home front. A too-brief conclusion of just eleven pages (with one page devoted to the 2009 Fort Hood shootings) covers the entire period since World War II, and it delivers an at times celebratory accounting of the manpower and resources that Texas contributed to the growth of militarism in the United States and the nation’s various military adventures of the past eighty years. By providing a strict narration of mostly well known events, Uglow misses a number of opportunities to provide more in-depth analysis, especially analysis reflecting the “war and society” turn in military history. Other than brief mentions of “racially motivated” violence during Reconstruction and the violence that erupted between white residents of Houston and Black soldiers stationed there during World War I (which the author labels a “mutiny”), there is little attention paid to the impact of military conflict on the state’s troubled history of race relations (pp. 243, 307). Similarly, despite the long history of violence along the state’s southern border, with armed incursions emanating from both Mexico and the United States, and notable episodes of brutality committed by the state-authorized Texas Rangers, the author offers a spare analysis of how this legacy impacts current views of border security both within the state and across the nation, or of the lingering hostility and mistrust among the state’s Anglo and Hispanic residents. There is little discussion of how Texas’s violent past, including the frequent incursions by both Comanche and Mexican raiders, continues to influence both racial views and positions on issues such as gun rights in the modern state. However, Uglow does point out that the Texas Revolution began with an attempted confiscation of firearms by Mexican officials. Citing works such as Susannah J. Ural’s Hood’s Texas Brigade: The Soldiers and Families of the Confederacy’s Most Celebrated Unit (Baton Rouge, 2017), which fully explores the connections between military forces and the societies that raise and sustain them, might have helped the author move past the detailed accounting of well-chronicled events to offer some explanation of how military history shaped modern Texas society, and how that culture continues to influence larger events and movements in the nation as a whole. Thus, the book fully achieves its limited aim of recounting Texas’s military past but misses an opportunity to highlight its broader significance and, thereby, to make a larger contribution to the existing literature. Christopher M. Rein Air...

Resident perceptions of the short- and long-term impacts of Hurricane Harvey

Severe storms and flooding events are expected to increase in frequency and severity, with lasting economic, social, and psychological impacts on communities in post-disaster recovery.In the first mixed methods study to focus on the experiences of Houstonians during Hurricane Harvey, which resulted in unprecedented and widespread flooding and billions of dollars in damage, we conducted five focus groups from four neighborhoods almost two years after Harvey made landfall. Our purpose was to understand how residents withstood and recovered from flooding-related stressors, what the major sources of support were and what long-term issues they were still dealing with. Residents relied on their families, friends, and neighborhood networks offline and online to seek important information about the storm and coordinate rescue efforts. They turned to their friends and neighbors for help with cleaning their homes and received support and donations from church and volunteer groups, while in one neighborhood residents organized themselves and coordinated aid and clean-up activities. Contrasting with this initial surge of social support that was perceived as overwhelmingly positive, the process of applying for federal aid was confusing, and residents reported continued stress and mental health strain. The experiences of Houston residents echo those of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy survivors, particularly when seeking federal assistance, an experience that continued to exacerbate post-disaster stress. Enhanced state and local disaster response mechanisms, as well engaged partnerships between community stakeholders, academics and policy makers have the potential to improve community resilience, particularly in the natural and industrial disaster-prone greater Houston area.

Racial/Ethnic Connection with Confidence in the Police: Equal Treatment Matters

Recent discussions on confidence in the police by race/ethnicity call for shifting the research focus from whether race/ethnicity matters to why and how it matters. The purpose of this article is to decipher the mediating role of the quality of police treatment in a nuanced study of racial impact on confidence in the police. Data were collected from a two-wave random-sample telephone survey of approximately 2400 residents in Houston, TX. The results confirm the expected effect of race/ethnicity on confidence in the police, net of neighborhood contexts and respondents’ demographics. More importantly, we found that the three measures tapping into the quality of police treatment during police–resident encounters partially mediate the race/ethnicity effect on views of police. Perceived equal treatment emerged as having the strongest effect. When the combined race/ethnicity sample was divided into three racial/ethnic subsamples, perceived equal treatment exerted the largest effects on confidence in the police both within and across the groups. Its effect is most pronounced for the Black subsample. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Federally Overlooked Flood Risk Inequities in Houston, Texas: Novel Insights Based on Dasymetric Mapping and State-of-the-Art Flood Modeling

In the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delineates 100-year flood zones to define risks, regulate flood insurance premiums, and inform flood management. Evidence indicates that FEMA flood maps are incomplete, calling much of our current knowledge of U.S. flood hazard inequities into question. We use a state-of-the-art flood hazard model and census tract-level dasymetrically mapped sociodemographic data to examine flood risk inequities in the Greater Houston area, where increasingly frequent and damaging flood events are occurring. We innovate by analyzing federally overlooked 100-year flood risks (100-year flood zones delineated by the flood hazard model that are outside of FEMA 100-year flood zones). Results indicate that nearly 1 million Greater Houston residents live in federally overlooked 100-year flood zones. Black and Asian neighborhoods experience disproportionate risk in federally overlooked pluvial and fluvial flood zones, and Hispanic neighborhoods experience disproportionate risk in all federally overlooked zones (coastal, pluvial, and fluvial). High flood risk and the relative lack of protective resources in federally overlooked 100-year flood zones doubly jeopardizes racial and ethnic minority communities. Our findings and recent flood disasters suggest that future flood impacts in Greater Houston will be catastrophic and unjust unless FEMA revises their risk mapping and management approach to promote long-term public safety and social equity.

Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination: The Interplay of Message Framing, Psychological Uncertainty, and Public Agency as a Message Source

The study examines how framing, psychological uncertainty, and agency type influence campaign effectiveness in promoting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. A 2 (gain vs. loss frame) × 2 (high vs. low uncertainty) × 2 (national vs. local agency) between-subjects experiment was conducted among Houston residents ( N = 382). Findings revealed that a loss frame was more effective among participants primed with high uncertainty through a thought-listing task; however, it was less persuasive under conditions of low uncertainty due to increased psychological reactance. Moreover, there was an interaction effect between uncertainty and agency type on vaccine beliefs. The study contributes to the framing literature by identifying psychological uncertainty as a moderator and provides useful suggestions for vaccine message design.

Exploring Factors of Support for Red Light Cameras and Perceived Officer Quality

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of individual, geographic, and police service variables in predicting 1) residents’ support of red light cameras and 2) residents’ perceptions of officer quality through ordinary least squares analyses (OLS). Further, with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) utilizing structural equation modeling, the study retests previously identified significant relationships to consider a hypothesized link between the two latent variables (residents’ support for the camera and their perceptions of officer quality). The study uses data from a 2008 survey of Houston residents. The results suggest, first, that police service variables are more predictive of both residents’ perceptions than are individual and geographic variables (OLS results). Second, a significant link exists between the two perceptions (CFA results). Thus, the results indicate that if residents offer greater support of red light camera enforcement, their perceived quality of life becomes secure, leading to a better evaluation of the police. Red light camera enforcement has not been frequently observed in the context of quality of life. The findings add empirical evidence to the body of literature regarding traffic camera enforcement and residents’ perceptions of police.

Abstract C062: Silent sanctuary city—impacts on women’s healthcare

Abstract Houston is world renowned as a city on the cutting edge of medical research and top tier medical facilities. But there is another story. Over 38% of residents of Houston speak a language other than English. A vast majority of this population are not able to get medical insurance and do not get regular health screenings. Although federal monies are available to provide free mammograms and PAP tests for the uninsured, Texas stipulates that a valid Texas ID must be presented to get access. This poster addresses the impact a dedicated group of volunteer medical and lay staff are making to serve the underserved. Citation Format: Mary Kay Dauria. Silent sanctuary city—impacts on women’s healthcare [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C062.

Racial Residential Segregation, Perceived Neighborhood Conditions, and Self‐Rated Health: The Case of Houston, Texas

Previous research has linked racial residential segregation to a number of poor health outcomes. Yet, the mechanisms that could account for this association remain poorly understood and have seldom been empirically tested in the literature. In an analysis of the Houston area, we test one potential mechanism—perceived neighborhood conditions, as measured by two indices for neighborhood disorder and environmental quality. Using individual‐level health data from a survey of Houston residents and neighborhood‐level sociodemographic data from the U.S. Census, we estimate a series of multilevel models. We find that black and Latino segregation are linked to the perceived neighborhood disorder index, but no such relationship for the environmental quality index. Moreover, we find that both indices are related to poor self‐rated health in that residents who evaluate their neighborhood conditions negatively are more likely to evaluate their health as poor. We also find a direct effect of black and Latino segregation on poor self‐rated health, and that perceived neighborhood disorder partially mediates this relationship. We do not find a mediation effect for environmental quality. The results suggest that in order to improve the health of these communities, both residential segregation and neighborhood conditions need to be addressed.

Coping With Tragedy via Reflected Glory: How the Houston Astros’ World Series Win Contributed to Locals’ Process of Overcoming Hurricane Harvey

This study investigates the effects of the Houston Astros’ first World Series win on locals who were affected by the natural disaster, Hurricane Harvey. Approaching the topic to understand whether organizational identification has similar positive outcomes to basking in reflected glory, this study specifically measures whether Houston residents were able to cope better and whether their meaning in life increased. After distributing surveys to Houston residents who reported being impacted by the hurricane, the findings indicated stronger organizational identification with the Houston Astros led to stronger reflected glory. Additionally, fans who felt reflected glory were more able to cope with tragedy, and self-efficacy toward overcoming the disaster partially contributed to this relationship. Lastly, fans who coped with the disaster felt a greater meaning in life. Theoretically, our study makes new connections between organizational identity and reflected glory, while tying reflected glory to coping outcomes. The relationship between coping and meaning in life is also explored. Our findings demonstrate how a city hit by tragedy could potentially see positive outcomes when their local professional team achieves major successes, such as winning the World Series.

Information Seeking and Information Sharing Related to Hurricane Harvey

This study is focused on social cognitive variables that motivate information seeking and information sharing related to Hurricane Harvey. Survey results from a nationally representative sample and a quota sample of Houston residents indicate that climate change beliefs and issue salience are consistent predictors of risk perception, which increases individuals’ negative emotions and information insufficiency. This need for information subsequently motivates information seeking and information sharing. Informational subjective norms are significantly related to seeking and sharing in the Houston sample, whereas perceived information gathering capacity and trust in media are significant predictors in the national sample.

Hurricane-Associated Mold Exposures Among Patients at Risk for Invasive Mold Infections After Hurricane Harvey - Houston, Texas, 2017.

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented flooding and devastation to the Houston metropolitan area (1). Mold exposure was a serious concern because investigations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005) had documented extensive mold growth in flood-damaged homes (2,3). Because mold exposure can cause serious illnesses known as invasive mold infections (4,5), and immunosuppressed persons are at high risk for these infections (6,7), several federal agencies recommend that immunosuppressed persons avoid mold-contaminated sites (8,9). To assess the extent of exposure to mold and flood-damaged areas among persons at high risk for invasive mold infections after Hurricane Harvey, CDC and Texas health officials conducted a survey among 103 immunosuppressed residents in Houston. Approximately half of the participants (50) engaged in cleanup of mold and water-damaged areas; these activities included heavy cleanup (23), such as removing furniture or removing drywall, or light cleanup (27), such as wiping down walls or retrieving personal items. Among immunosuppressed persons who performed heavy cleanup, 43% reported wearing a respirator, as did 8% who performed light cleanup. One participant reported wearing all personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended for otherwise healthy persons (i.e., respirator, boots, goggles, and gloves). Immunosuppressed residents who are at high risk for invasive mold infections were exposed to mold and flood-damaged areas after Hurricane Harvey; recommendations from health care providers to avoid exposure to mold and flood-damaged areas could mitigate the risk to immunosuppressed persons.

Epidemiological trends of Reported Legionnaires’ disease in Houston, Texas, 2014-2017

OnjectiveTo study trends and patterns in legionnaires’ disease cases in Houston, Texas, from 2014-2017.IntroductionLegionellosis is a respiratory illness that is mostly (80-90%) caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. It is associated with a mild febrile illness, Pontiac fever, or Legionnaires’ disease (1), a source of severe, community-acquired pneumonia. Legionella bacteria mostly affect elderly persons specifically those with underlying debilitating illnesses and with lowered immune systems. Water is the major natural reservoir for Legionella, and the pathogen is found in many different natural and artificial aquatic environments such as cooling towers or water systems in buildings, including hospitals. An abrupt increase in the incidence of Legionnaires’ has been noted since 2003 throughout the nation. According to CDC, about 6,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported in the United State in 2015 (1). Incidence rates of Legionnaires for the year 2015 were 1.06 and 1.90 (ref) for Texas and the United States respectively (2). Increased number of reported cases might be due to the fact of an older population, more at risk individuals, aging plumbing infrastructure, and increased testing for Legionnaires’ disease by various hospitals and laboratories.MethodsData were extracted from Houston’s Electronic Disease Surveillance System (HEDSS) from January 1, 2014, to December 07, 2018. Confirmed cases were analyzed to examine the epidemiologic trends across years 2014 to 2018. Demographic characteristics such as age, race, and gender were also analyzed. Incidence rates, case fatality and time lapse from date of diagnosis to date of reporting to the health department were also studied. Data were analyzed using SAS statistical software, version 9.4. Only Houston residents were included in the analysis. To be considered confirmed, a case must be clinically compatible and fulfill at least one of the confirmatory laboratory criteria.ResultsThere were 218 cases of LD reported to the City of Huston from 2014 to 2018. Only 116 cases (53%) were classified as confirmed. Reported cases may have been not confirmed due to the lack of fulfilling the case criteria for the case. Providers may have ordered a non-confirmative test, or the case may not have satisfied the clinical compatibility due to loss to follow-up or for other reasons.Most of the confirmed cases were reported from larger for-profit hospitals (500+beds) in the area. The majority of cases were diagnosed by urinary antigen test (95, 82%). There were four deaths due to legionnaires disease during this period giving a case fatality rate of 3.4%. Death rates were inaccurate, though, and could be higher than reported since cases were not followed up after being reported to the state. From 2014 to 2018, legionnaires’ disease incidence rates increased from 0.71 to 1.36 per 100,000, an average annual increase of 17%.In 2014–2018, the incidence of LD was higher among men compared with women. 67 cases (58%) were male, and 49 (42%) were female. Female cases remained stable throughout the years while male cases increased from 6 to 23, an increase of approximately four folds. The median age was 60 years with a range of 21 to 96 years. LD incidence increased with age; it was highest among residents 65 years and older (42,36%). African Americans had the highest incidence of LD (40, 35%) followed by Hispanics (29, 25%). African Americans cases had more than doubled through years 2014-2018 from 6 to 13. Cases were higher in warmer months specifically in July (14) an August (13).ConclusionsCases were higher in the warmer months and the highest among the elderly, men, and those of African American race. ELR was the prime source of initial case reporting to the health department. The number of legionnaire’s cases observed were increasing with each passing year. The ratio of confirmed cases to those reported were only 53% thus raising awareness and appropriate education to the investigators and providers are highly advised. It is critical to the control of LD that enhanced surveillance is maintained at a high level. Consequently, more consideration should be given for the more widespread use of Legionnaires confirming test when a patient presents with pneumonia.Hospitals and other healthcare facilities often have large, complex water systems, making them potentially high-risk settings for transmission of legionellosis to vulnerable patients or residents. We recommend all healthcare facilities have a water management program to control Legionella.

Accessibility Inequality in Houston

Recent research has reported that residents from different types of neighborhoods exhibit divergent patterns of urban mobility. However, these analyses have not considered the accessibility enabled by transportation networks. Furthermore, the data are typically not collected at a fine-grained enough temporal resolution, which impedes upon the accurate identification of more frequently visited locations. Here, we develop a data fusion framework to integrate individuals' mobility, transportation routing, and census data to quantify urban dwellers' accessibility to their frequently visited locations. The framework has been applied to a random sample of 1000 Houstonians. The analytical results show that Houston residents visit a median of nine locations five times or more in the period of one week. Residents from primarily poor and black neighborhoods experience longer travel times compared to individuals from nonpoor and white neighborhoods when using public transit, even though their travel durations by driving are similar. The differences are problematic given that residents from poor and black neighborhoods often have lower rates of car ownership. The results indicate that urban dwellers' accessibility is strongly impacted by their neighborhood characteristics, which has implications for equitable access in urban environments.

Alternative Options for Resolution of Property and Casualty Claims Arising out of Natural Disasters

At the time of this Article, at least twelve large wildfires are burn- ing in California across more than 1,000 square miles, having damaged or destroyed over 2,000 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). At least eight people have lost their lives. The Kilauea volcano continues to erupt in Hawaii, having destroyed 600 homes. The 2018 hurricane season is in full swing, and while there have been no catastrophic events to date, residents in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere are still recovering from the devastating winds and rains wrought by Har- vey, Maria, and Irma last year. Those hurricanes are estimated to have caused more than $200 billion in damages, making the 2017 hurricane season the costliest in U.S. history. Around the world, natural disasters such as deadly heat waves, flooding, mudslides, hurricanes, and tornadoes will cause untold losses as temperatures across the globe are rising. After the smoke clears, the ash settles, the waters subside, and initial recovery efforts restore basic functions like the delivery of food, water, and electricity, survivors face the task of rebuilding. Inevitably, property and business owners either look to their insurance carriers for relief or initiate tort actions against alleged wrongdoers. In 2007, more than 2,000 law suits were filed against San Diego Gas & Electric following a series of wildfires that engulfed San Diego County in California, where faulty power lines were blamed for some of the fires. Dozens of cases have been filed in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in California relating to the deadly Thomas Fire and related devastating mudslides that killed twenty people and destroyed hundreds of homes late last year. Traditional litigation used to resolve these disputes has the potential to overwhelm the courts, consume limited resources of insurance carriers and others, and be unduly burdensome to survivors. Alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) mechanisms such as mediation can offer significant relief to the parties, permitting them to negotiate a resolution in a less formal setting than the courthouse, and usually within a shorter time frame than typical litigation would require. In situations where a mass disaster does not easily lend itself to individual mediations, however, providers can customize the process to ensure that all parties—those parties that have suffered losses, insurance carriers, and potentially responsible parties—experience a fair, economic, and efficient resolution. National ADR providers such as JAMS and the American Arbitration Association offer comprehensive, customized processes that can be tailored to meet the needs of the parties and the unique requirements of each case. Individual mediators around the country routinely provide assistance with ADR process design for complex, multi-party matters. Some examples follow.

From the Other Side

It is unclear how to start this column. A few days before this year's SEG Annual Meeting, a strange chap called Harvey encamped over the Houston area. He stayed around for a few days and dumped 50 inches of rain. That was great for the rhubarb but not so good for the residents of Houston and south Texas. During the hurricane, residents kept close watch on the bayou water levels. One morning, I arose and took a step into my sunken living room. I encountered a few inches of water. Oh well, I thought. I quickly moved a lot of furniture to the next level up, which was a little more than a foot higher. I was happy with the situation even though the carpet in the living room was history. It quit raining, but the water remained — a few inches in the sunken living room. There was an announcement that the two reservoirs (behind the earthen dams) were going to increase the release of water to 7000 cubic feet/minute. That added about five feet of water.

Broken Windows Theory and Citizen Engagement in Crime Prevention

According to broken windows theory, heightened perceptions of disorder, increased fear of crime and diminished community social control are significant inhibitors of public participation in crime prevention arising directly from concerns for personal safety and sense of futility associated with the effort required. The purpose of this study is to partially test these hypothesized links between conditions, perceptions and behaviors. The data were derived from a telephone survey of approximately 1,100 residents in Houston, Texas. In addition to the traditional survey data, social nuisance crime/disorder incidents recorded by the police in the immediate neighborhood of each respondent’s residence were documented by using a GIS spatial analysis tool. The use of structural equation modeling enables us to examine the related effects of key elements of broken windows theory on citizen engagement in public safety promotion. Study results indicate that disorder incidents had a significant impact on perceptions of ...

Tropical Storm Harvey causes disruptions, emissions, and explosions in Houston area

As flood waters continue to rise, Storage facilities holding highly flammable organic peroxides at an Arkema plant in Crosby, Texas, began to explode early this morning, sending black smoke into the air. The facility and area around it had been evacuated and no serious injuries were reported. However, several first responders were treated for symptoms of respiratory irritation. The explosion was another setback for the storm-ravaged region of the Texas Gulf coast. By Aug. 30, Houston residents finally caught a glimpse of sunlight after nearly five days of record-breaking rain from Tropical Storm Harvey. But dangers still lurk in areas that remain underwater, as the Crosby explosion shows. Tens of millions of people in the Houston area have moved from their flooded homes to shelters. As the water recedes, state and federal officials, as well as refinery and chemical plant managers, will assess the damage. Many refineries and petrochemical facilities

The effect of micro-level disorder incidents on public attitudes toward the police

PurposeDrawing upon the police accountability model, the purpose of this paper is to advance the research on public attitudes toward the police (PATP) by examining the effects of reported disorder incidents at the micro level on the two dimensions of PATP.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses two waves of random sample telephone survey of 2,393 residents in Houston, Texas. The disorder data were provided by the Houston Police Department. Disorder incidents surrounding each respondent’s residence were extracted by using geographic information systems technology. Structural equation modeling was used for the analysis.FindingsThe main findings suggest that while the observational measure of disorder exerts no direct impact on residents’ general attitudes toward the police; it has a significant impact on specific attitudes toward the police measured by using the neighborhoods as the principle geographical context. In addition, documented disorder incidents are found to be a robust predictor of perceptions of disorder in both models.Originality/valueThe measurement of PATP was ambiguous in the research literature and scholarly attention to the observational factors such as reported disorder incidents has been lacking. This study fills the gap of the relevant literature by measuring PATP as a two-dimensional concept and incorporating reported disorder incidents into the analysis.