title: New York State Public Health System Response to Hurricane Sandy: An Analysis of Survey Feedback.
abstract: The 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.
  
  
  
  In 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.
  
  
  
  Surveys 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.
  
  
  
  New 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).
authors.affiliation: 1Office of Public Health,New York State Department of Health,Albany,New York.
authors.forename: Asante
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shipp Hilts
authors.affiliation: 1Office of Public Health,New York State Department of Health,Albany,New York.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.affiliation: 1Office of Public Health,New York State Department of Health,Albany,New York.
authors.forename: Yunshu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: 1Office of Public Health,New York State Department of Health,Albany,New York.
authors.forename: Millicent
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eidson
authors.affiliation: 1Office of Public Health,New York State Department of Health,Albany,New York.
authors.forename: Trang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: 1Office of Public Health,New York State Department of Health,Albany,New York.
authors.forename: Guthrie S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Birkhead
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002959:Civil Defense / Q000592:standards*; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D005246:Feedback; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D009518:New York; D010465:Perception; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: disaster planning; emergency preparedness; hurricane; local health departments; public health; public health workforce; staff perceptions; state health agencies; survey