Professor of Anthropology Richard Gould didn't expect to spend first-year orientation using the forensic investigation skills he has taught. But the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina drew Gould to Gulfport, Miss., to help identify the remains of storm victims.
Instead of studying books, Gould is processing bodies. Instead of walking down Thayer Street, he is wading through sludge. But despite the harsh conditions, Gould said he has "learned more in the past week than you could learn in a semester of classroom experience."
"It's intense, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he said.
Gould uses his anthropology background to examine the age, sex, ancestry, distinguishing characteristics and forensic evidence - such as signs of trauma - in order to identify victims of the hurricane. The post-mortem information he finds is then compared to facts supplied by family members of the victims at the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team's Family Assistance Center.
The work is demanding, but Gould said he is willing to use all his energy in order to help the waterlogged region.
Since he arrived in Gulfport Sept. 1, Gould has spent his brief breaks from his 12-hour workdays on a lawn chair outside the Disaster Portable Morgue Unit. But the breaks have been far from restful, and from his seat Gould said he has observed trucks, helicopters and rampant looting in the damaged city, which now resembles an unpaved parking lot.
At a moment's notice, Gould said, he had to be prepared to leave his post, throw on his Tyvek suit and jump back into "the foxhole" to examine a freshly recovered body.
"People wear out so fast down here. Two weeks is about all anybody can take of this kind of work," he said.
Gould has been a member of the New England branch of the DMORT for the past three years. DMORT is a national disaster relief organization operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. He participated in recovery efforts following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and identified some of the 100 people killed in the 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I.
On Sept. 1, Gould and about 35 members of the New England DMORT team flew to Atlanta, Ga., making the remainder of the trip to Gulfport by van, where they began work on a civilian and military airfield by setting up the Disaster Portable Morgue Unit, a trailer that currently serves as a base of operations. Gould said quarters there are cramped and sweaty, and the operation is characterized by a military gloss.
The DMORT Gulfport operation quickly grew to about 100 people and the National Guard further stabilized the situation, Gould said.
On Sept. 9, he was relocated to New Orleans, an area of the affected region that has remained more volatile, he said.
"New Orleans was hit much harder than people realize. We're going full blast, but we're getting bodies to process faster than we can handle them," he said.
The operation relies on the synthesis of many disciplines, Gould said. In Gulfport, he headed the anthropology unit, but worked closely with the pathology, photography, fingerprint, radiology, dental and DNA units. In New Orleans, Gould is in the field gathering bodies.
"It's pretty tough on families if they can't get any closure," Gould said. "But closure is a very poor word, and doesn't describe what really takes place."
According to Gould, the recent battering of FEMA in the press was unwarranted. "I know FEMA is getting a bad rap, but it's been pretty good here. The people in charge seem to be competent. If we need something, we get it," he said. "FEMA's priorities are in place and they really seem to care about protecting and helping people first."
With the damage so widespread, Gould said, Katrina is the most difficult test of the country's natural disaster relief systems in recent history, and for him, the storm struck at what was probably the most inopportune moment. But his sense of duty to the University could not deter him from fulfilling an intrinsic sense of duty to the victims of disaster, he said.
"Major disasters never happen at convenient times," he said.
In his absence, two graduate students in anthropology are covering his course load. Brian Gohacki GS is teaching UC0044: "Recovering the Past," and Krysta Ryzewski GS is teaching AN109: "Nautical and Underwater Archaeology."
Enrollment in both classes has surpassed pre-registration figures, said David Kertzer, anthropology department chair.
"In a natural disaster like this, people chip in, and luckily we're able to make an arrangement," Kertzer said. "The two graduate students are filling in capably and have a lot of experience in doing archaeology work."
Gould plans to return to Brown Friday, Sept. 16, but he said he may return to the affected region again, perhaps during winter break.
James Harper, director of the BioMed Animal Care Facility, may be preparing for a similar journey. Harper is a member of the Rhode Island Disaster Medical Assistance Team, a medical relief organization that is also under FEMA control.
"If (Hurricane Katrina) didn't come during freshmen orientation, I would have been down there. My bigger responsibility was to the 12 freshmen and eight sophomores I advise," Harper said.
In 2001, Harper aided in the Sept. 11 relief effort, which did not conflict with his obligations to the University. Harper said if he does go to the Gulf region, his advisees will be transferred to other faculty members.
"Things are still in a state of flux. ... The amount of chaos and confusion is much greater, and this is the most widespread disaster since they've had these relief systems in place," Harper said. "It makes shopping period look really simple."
