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Abstract: 

“There has to be a recognition that the world is not made up of well adults,” Nicolo “Nick” Festa stated emphatically on March 20, 2006, when I phoned him to ask about his experiences related to Hurricane Katrina. Nick, an APS supervisor with the Department of Health and Hospitals in New Orleans, was visiting his parents in New England when Katrina blew into the Gulf of Mexico in late August 2005. One month passed before he got news about his house, possessions, and pets. Living in limbo, Nick volunteered at the Houston Astrodome, helping connect vulnerable adults to needed services. This article is his account as related to the author of the article. Appearing adjacent to the article is a boxed sidebar, “Behavioral Health Services and Support Needed Pursuant to an Emergency”

Keywords: Nicolo “Nick” Festa; Department of Health and Hospitals in New Orleans; Houston Astrodome; APS Lacks Centralized National Locating System; Minnesota prepares for evacuees; Double Whammy for APS Staff

Affiliations:  1: Texas APS program, retired.