New York State Public Health System Response to Hurricane Sandy: An Analysis of Survey Feedback

Abstract

ObjectiveThe objective was to provide a broad spectrum of New York State and local public health staff the opportunity to contribute anonymous feedback on their own and their agencies’ preparedness and response to Hurricane Sandy, perceived challenges, and recommendations for preparedness improvement.MethodsIn 2015, 2 years after Hurricane Sandy, public health staff who worked on Hurricane Sandy response were identified and were provided a link to the anonymous survey. Quantitative analyses were used for survey ratings and qualitative content analyses were used for open-ended questions.ResultsSurveys were completed by 129 local health department (LHD) staff in 3 counties heavily impacted by Sandy (Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester) and 69 staff in the New York State Department of Health who supported the LHDs. Staff agreed that their Hurricane Sandy responsibilities were clearly defined and that they had access to adequate information to perform their jobs. Challenges were reported in the operational, communication, service interruptions, and staff categories, with LHD staff also reporting challenges with shelters.ConclusionsNew York local and state public health staff indicated that they were prepared for Hurricane Sandy. However, their feedback identified specific challenges and recommendations that can be addressed to implement improved preparedness and response strategies. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:454–462)

Superstorm Sandy’s impact on the provision of WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) services in New York State

“…No published assessments were identified for the effects of natural disasters on WIC programmes. However, several studies have examined the impact of Sandy on NYSDOH and LHD ( 9 – 11 ) , with similar results to the current assessment. In those studies, the public health agency preparedness capabilities ‘emergency operations coordination’ and ‘information sharing’ contained the greatest number of strengths, and challenges were commonly related to ‘emergency operations coordination’ and ‘environmental health protection’ ( 9 , 10 ) .…”

“…In those studies, the public health agency preparedness capabilities ‘emergency operations coordination’ and ‘information sharing’ contained the greatest number of strengths, and challenges were commonly related to ‘emergency operations coordination’ and ‘environmental health protection’ ( 9 , 10 ) . Survey responses indicated that while NYSDOH and LHD staff were generally prepared for Sandy, they faced a number of challenges including communication problems, operational issues, public health service interruptions and staffing challenges ( 11 ) .…”

“…However, the impact of Sandy on routine public health services such as tuberculosis control programmes (3) and services for injection drug users (4) has been previously described. We have previously studied the impact of Sandy on various parts of the public health system in New York (9)(10)(11) . This research was funded in 2013 by the CDC to identify ways to improve preparation, response and recovery efforts for future disasters.…”

Lessons From New York State’s Preparedness Efforts for Ebola

“…State and county health workers in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy spoke of the importance of good communication and routine practice drills, which were applied in the Ebola preparations. 2 Events such as the SARS outbreak and the state's smallpox vaccination initiative to preempt bioterrorist threats, which both took place in 2003, compelled the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to fully flesh out our isolation and quarantine protocols for exposed or ill persons, which we modified and relied upon during Ebola. The state also issued infection control guidance during SARS and the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, which helped hospitals get comfortable with handling these issues.…”

Public Housing on the Periphery: Vulnerable Residents and Depleted Resilience Reserves post-Hurricane Sandy

“…Our study is guided by previous research on resilience and how vulnerable populations cope with disasters [16][17][18][19][20]. In the disaster literature, resilience has been theorized and measured at varying levels of analysis, from individuals to systems, though the community level has garnered much of the attention.…”