During the last decade, the need for evidence-based strategies that could be used to respond to various emergencies has increased as a result of an increase in the rate of disasters. One of such evidence-based strategies is a risk assessment that provides the basis for further activities listed in the mitigation plan. Risk assessment is performed to determine possible risks and analyze what could happen if a hazard occurs (Khan et al., 2015).
The process of risk assessment is usually conducted in four steps. In the first step, potential stressors are identified and circumstances under which humans and ecological systems may be affected are examined. In the second step, a dose-response assessment is performed to understand the relationship between hazards and their effects. In the third step, identified hazards are analyzed based on predetermined criteria, such as duration, frequency, and the speed of onset. In the fourth step, potential human and economic losses are estimated based on such factors as vulnerability and exposure.
Tracking and measuring outcomes during a disaster is an important part of preparedness programming that enables emergency response organizations to estimate the overall efficiency of planning. A good example of an evidence-based strategy for shaping healthcare system outcomes in a disaster is a disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategy that is aimed at reducing socio-economic vulnerabilities to hazard, thus improving disaster resilience.
Another example of an effective evidence-based strategy is the use of public open spaces (POS) in disaster management. It has been proven that POS can be used for emergency evacuation and recovery, which is why disaster management strategies should be integrated with the planning of POS (Jayakody, Amarathunga, & Haigh, 2018). In particular, the design of a network of POS should be considered by hazard-prone areas that are associated with a high rate of mortality due to disasters.
Like other megacities, New York tends to be more vulnerable to disasters and, consequently, greater human and economic losses. In particular, NYC is highly exposed to hydrometeorological and coastal hazards, including but not limited to floods, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms, coastal erosion, and windstorms. To decrease the risk of coastal storms, multiple initiatives have been developed by the NYC Office for Emergency Management (Depietri, Dahal, & McPhearson, 2018). The second type of disaster risks to which NYC is subject is extreme precipitation, which may cause significant damage to the city. Additional disaster risk is heat waves, which increase the probability of health-related problems and can even lead to death.
It is possible to state that two priority concerns for the selected area are hurricanes and floods. Hurricanes, as well as coastal storms, can and do adversely affect New York. In fact, the city has been already hit by Hurricane Sandy (category 3) and Hurricane Dorian (category 5). Apart from a great number of human losses, the city’s infrastructure was heavily damaged. Due to the city’s geographical position, the issue of floods is also significant, as NY has a number of high-risk flood zones. Flash floods are able to turn the city streets into a river, wreaking havoc and blocking traffic.
A professional organization that is active in emergency preparedness is the NYC Office for Emergency Management. The agency is responsible for developing the citywide strategic emergency management plans for all types of emergencies. Apart from that, the organization educates New Yorkers about disaster preparedness and tests its emergency plans on a regular basis by conducting exercises. Other services provided by the NYC Office for Emergency Management include the coordination of responses to disasters.
References
Depietri, Y., Dahal, K., & McPhearson, T. (2018). Multi-hazard risks in New York City. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 18(12), 3363–3381.
Jayakody, R., Amarathunga, D., & Haigh, R. (2018). Integration of disaster management strategies with planning and designing public open spaces. Procedia Engineering, 212(4), 954–961.
Khan, Y., Fazli, G., Henry, B., Villa, E. D., Tsamis, C., Grant, M., & Schwartz, B. (2015). The evidence base of primary research in public health emergency preparedness: A scoping review and stakeholder consultation. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 432–445.