Of all the tragic events following Hurricane Katrina’s arrival in Louisiana and the subsequent flood, among the most tragic are the rapes of evacuees. At a time when they could not have been more vulnerable, a currently unknown number of people were subjected to a violent, terrifying, and humiliating crime.

Did rapes really happen at the Superdome (and elsewhere) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the flood? I feel sure that they did, if for no other reason than the sheer volume of people (25,000 - 30,000) who were in one place at one time. The question of how many assaults occurred is a valid one, if only because there hasn't been any uniform mechanism for them to be reported. The usual channels through which rapes are reported -- law enforcement agencies, medical centers, and rape crisis centers -- have been either non-functioning or functioning in such a way as to make gathering statistics impossible. Measuring how frequently social problems happen is important, of course -- but not when a medical provider has a line of hundreds of people to be seen. Each person's medical needs are met, and they are moved along. These are not usual circumstances.

Even in usual circumstances, it is difficult to measure how many sexual assaults happen because the nature of crime is such that victims are reluctant to report. In addition to the very personal and frightening nature of the crime, victims who have lived in American society have been exposed to messages – from the entertainment media, from family, from friends -- that rape victims are somehow to blame for what happened to them. They fear being blamed, and they just want to pretend it didn't happen.

Some rapes are reported to police. What percentage of those that happened is reported to law enforcement? Some say one in four; some say one in 10. All agree that it is the vast minority of cases. And it merits mentioning that the FBI says that the rate of false reports of rape is the same as the rate of false reports of other crimes, between 2 and 5%.

Rape crisis centers see many more victims than are seen by law enforcement. Unlike law enforcement and medical personnel, however, rape crisis centers don't only work with victims who have been raped a short time ago. They may see someone hours after a rape, or two months, or 20 years. For that reason, their statistics, while compelling, do not provide a snapshot of how much sexual assault took place in a given area during a given time period.

Some have suggested that since there are not yet official reports of rapes in the Superdome or elsewhere during the hurricane aftermath, then clearly it is just so much histrionic rumor. The idea that because something cannot be measured, it does not exist is ridiculous. The number of Superdome survivors and witnesses talking about rape is proof enough that it did happen. Was it 2 rapes? 20? 100? A group of advocacy and law enforcement groups are working now on developing a system to measure this, because it is important. Even without an exact number, though, we know it happened, and that alone is bad enough.

The mixture of frustrated, angry, powerless people in one place for a long time is a toxic one. Some of them were drinking and using drugs, which exacerbates the problem of violence. The intermingling of men and women, children, elderly folks, people with disabilities, people with substance abuse problems, people with mental illness, and people with criminal tendencies was a deadly one. It is no secret that in our society, some people are strong and some are weak. Some of the strong help those who are weaker - and some prey on them. The animal-like circumstances of the evacuees in the Superdome - conditions in which no human being should ever have to live - caused frustration on a level that most people will never know. That sense of helplessness, lack of control, and powerlessness would make most people angry; for predatory people, the availability of someone over whom they can have power and control, on whom they can take out their anger, is all the excuse they need to commit rape.

The rapes that happened in the Superdome and elsewhere victimized not only those who were assaulted, but also those who witnessed the rapes and were helpless to stop them. The trauma of that experience should not be minimized. While this happens in everyday society - for example, assailants who prey on a couple and rape the woman while the man is forced to watch - it is unlikely that it has ever been experienced on this scale. These people were victimized, too, and they need support and services just as the primary victims do.

The aftermath of the hurricane and flood led to conditions in which rape was not only possible, but extremely likely. It also demonstrates, in reality and in metaphor, who in our society is "rapeable.” Who is able to get away, and who is left behind? Those with privilege escape; those without privilege are left to experience whatever may happen - rape, disease, hunger, hardship, death. Who was left behind, and who was raped? Poor people. People of color. Children and babies. Women. Old people. People with disabilities. Homeless people. That's not to say that white middle- or upper-class people are never raped; they certainly are. But when they report, the crime is more likely to be taken seriously, and if the offender is prosecuted, his punishment will be more severe.

It's important to remember that New Orleans was also home to many, many survivors of sexual assault. The circumstances of the hurricane warnings, evacuation, the flood, and the loss of lives, homes, and livelihoods evokes many of the same feelings experienced during a sexual assault. Fear of dying; knowing that life as it was is no more. Helplessness. Loss of control. Sadness. Victimization. There's no doubt that the survivors who once lived in New Orleans have been triggered by these events, and they are now in a new home - temporary or permanent - but without the support and services they once counted on from the rape crisis centers in the affected areas. Thankfully, our state and our nation stand ready with other sexual assault crisis centers, the staff of which, like family greeting loved ones, is ready to welcome them with open arms.

Judy Benitez, M. Ed. Executive Director, LAFASA