Objectives: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an outreach program which included safety training and the distribution of personal protection kits in the Houston area in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
Methods: Outreach: 71 volunteers conducted training sessions at 19 different sites and distributed a total of 1187 kits. Follow-up study: We conducted telephonic interviews to collect data on respiratory symptoms and obtain perceptions of the quality of the safety training provided among 83 participants.
Results: Participants reported an increase in airway symptoms four weeks after Hurricane Harvey. Outreach efforts were felt to be effective by a majority of participants.
Conclusion: Future studies may adopt some of the best practices from our training efforts in terms of utilizing a combination of verbal demonstrations and written training guidelines on proper respirator usage.