Description of the Seven Disasters and Research Participants from Each Site
| Place/Date | Description of Incident | Index Study Sample | Follow-up n (% of Index) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN, plane crash into hotel, 10/20/87 | Military jet crashed into the lobby of a Ramada Inn. The hotel was destroyed, resulting in loss of employment for most; 10 fatalities (9 employees, 1 patron). | 74% of all hotel employees; n = 17 | 14 (82%) |
| Russellville, AR, mass shooting at local businesses, 12/28/87 | After murdering 14 people in his rural mobile home, a man went on a 35-minute shooting rampage through four local businesses; 2 fatalities, 4 injuries. | 72% of the employees of two affected businesses; n = 11 | 10 (91%) |
| Madison, FL, tornado, 4/19/88 | Without warning at 4:55 a.m., an F-4 tornado cut a mile-wide path through the town; 4 fatalities, 17 injuries. | 89% of affected households (one representative member of each); n = 40 | 38 (95%) |
| Killeen, TX, mass shooting at a cafeteria, 10/16/91 | A gunman drove his pickup truck through the front window of Luby's cafeteria and held 150 patrons and employees captive while shooting people at close range for 15 minutes; 24 fatalities (including gunman), 20 injuries. | 82% of individuals present during the shooting; n = 123 | 105 (85%) |
| Oakland/Berkeley, CA, firestorm, 10/20/91 | A massive firestorm fueled by a five-year drought and strong Santa Ana winds destroyed nearly 3,000 homes in largely upscale neighborhoods in the Oakland Hills over 3 days, causing $1.5 billion in damages; 25 fatalities, 150 injuries. | Volunteer sample of respondents invited by random mailing to burned area households (one representative member each); n = 62 | 54 (87%) |
| Iowa City, IA, university campus mass shooting, 11/2/91 | After being passed over for an award, a disgruntled graduate student in physics went on a shooting rampage on the campus of the University of Iowa; six fatalities (gunman and university professors, students, and staff), one serious injury. | 75% of all individuals who encountered the gunman in the physics building where most of the shooting occurred; n = 9 | 6 (67%) |
| Clayton, MO, mass shooting in courthouse, 6/5/92 | In court on divorce proceedings, a man shot at wife, lawyers, and judge and then stalked hallways with guns for 10 minutes; one fatality (gunman's wife), five injuries (including both parties' lawyers). | Volunteer sample of courthouse employees, lawyers, and judges, and law enforcement personnel in courthouse during shooting; n = 79 | 76 (96%) |
| Total | N = 341 | 303 (89%) |