Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T09:24:41.522Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Long-term Recovery From Hurricane Sandy: Evidence From a Survey in New York City

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2017

Elisaveta P. Petkova*
Affiliation:
National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York
Jaishree Beedasy
Affiliation:
National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York
Eun Jeong Oh
Affiliation:
Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, New York
Jonathan J. Sury
Affiliation:
National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York
Erin M. Sehnert
Affiliation:
National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York
Wei-Yann Tsai
Affiliation:
Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, New York
Michael J. Reilly
Affiliation:
Center for Disaster Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Elisaveta P. Petkova, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Earth Institute, Columbia University, 215 West 125th Street, Suite 303, New York, NY, 10027 (e-mail: [email protected]).

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to examine a range of factors influencing the long-term recovery of New York City residents affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Methods

In a series of logistic regressions, we analyzed data from a survey of New York City residents to assess self-reported recovery status from Hurricane Sandy.

Results

General health, displacement from home, and household income had substantial influences on recovery. Individuals with excellent or fair health were more likely to have recovered than were individuals with poor health. Those with high and middle income were more likely to have recovered than were those with low income. Also, individuals who had not experienced a decrease in household income following Hurricane Sandy had higher odds of recovery than the odds for those with decreased income. Additionally, displacement from the home decreased the odds of recovery. Individuals who applied for assistance from the Build it Back program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency had lower odds of recovering than did those who did not apply.

Conclusions

The study outlines the critical importance of health and socioeconomic factors in long-term disaster recovery and highlights the need for increased consideration of those factors in post-disaster interventions and recovery monitoring. More research is needed to assess the effectiveness of state and federal assistance programs, particularly among disadvantaged populations. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:172–175)

Type
Brief Reports
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Hall, TM, Sobel, AH. On the impact angle of Hurricane Sandy’s New Jersey landfall. Geophys Res Lett. 2013;40(10):2312-2315. https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50395.Google Scholar
2. Redlener, I, Reilly, MJ. Lessons from Sandy — preparing health systems for future disasters. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(24):2269-2271. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1213486.Google Scholar
3. Cutter, SL, Emrich, CT, Mitchell, JT, et al. The long road home: Race, class, and recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Environment. 2006;48(2):8 20). https://doi.org/10.3200/ENVT.48.2.8-20.Google Scholar
4. Manuel, J. The long road to recovery: environmental health impacts of Hurricane Sandy. Environ Health Perspect. 2013;121(5):a152-a159. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.121-a152.Google Scholar
5. Abramson, DM, Van Alst, D, Merdjanoff, A, Piltch-Loeb, R, Beedasy, J, Findley, P, Peek, LA, Mordy, M, Moroso, S, Ocasio, K, Park, SY, Sury, J, Tobin-Gurley, J. The Hurricane Sandy person report: exposure, health, economic burden and social well-being. The Sandy Child and Family Health Study. Rutgers University School of Social Work, New York University Global Institute of Public Health, National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, Colorado State University; 2015. Briefing Report 2015_2.Google Scholar
6. Norris, FH, Elrod, CL. Psychosocial consequences of disaster. In: Norris FH, Galea S, Friedman MJ, Watson PJ, eds. Methods for Disaster Mental Health Research. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2006:20-42.Google Scholar
7. Rebuild Program. NYC Build it Back. City of New York website. http://www.nyc.gov/html/recovery/html/homeowners/homeowners-renters.shtml. Accessed March 3, 2017.Google Scholar
8. Sandy Recovery Office. FEMA website. http://www.fema.gov/sandy-recovery-office. Accessed July 28, 2016.Google Scholar
9. Lane, K, Charles-Guzman, K, Wheeler, K, et al. Health effects of coastal storms and flooding in urban areas: a review and vulnerability assessment. J Environ Public Health. 2013:913064. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/913064.Google Scholar
10. Abramson, DM, Van Alst, D, Merdjanoff, A, Piltch-Loeb, R, Beedasy, J, Findley, P, Peek, LA, Mordy, M, Moroso, S, Ocasio, K, Park, SY, Sury, J, Tobin-Gurley, J. The Hurricane Sandy place report: evacuation decisions, housing issues and sense of community. The Sandy Child and Family Health Study. Rutgers University School of Social Work, New York University Global Institute of Public Health, National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, Colorado State University; 2015. Briefing Report 2015_1.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Petkova et al supplementary material

Table S1

Download Petkova et al supplementary material(File)
File 18.1 KB