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标题：A Rapid Needs Assessment of the Rockaway Peninsula in New York City After Hurricane Sandy and the Relationship of Socioeconomic Status to Recovery
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作者：Saleena Subaiya ; Cyrus Moussavi ; Anthony Velasquez 等
期刊名称：American journal of public health
印刷版ISSN：0090-0036
出版年度：2014
卷号：104
期号：4
页码：632-638
DOI：10.2105/AJPH.2013.301668
语种：English
出版社：American Public Health Association
摘要：Objectives. We conducted a rapid needs assessment in the Rockaway Peninsula—one of the areas of New York City most severely affected by Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012—to assess basic needs and evaluate for an association between socioeconomic status (SES) and storm recovery. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional survey within the Rockaways 3 weeks after the hurricane made landfall to elicit information regarding basic utilities, food access, health, relief-effort opinions, and SES. We used a modified cluster sampling method to select households with a goal of 7 to 10 surveys per cluster. Results. Thirty to fifty percent of households were without basic utilities including electricity, heat, and telephone services. Lower-income households were more likely to worry about food than higher-income households (odds ratio = 4.5; 95% confidence interval = 1.43, 15.23; P = .01). A post-storm trend also existed among the lower-income group towards psychological disturbances. Conclusions. Storm preparation should include disseminating information regarding carbon monoxide and proper generator use, considerations for prescription refills, neighborhood security, and location of food distribution centers. Lower-income individuals may have greater difficulty meeting their needs following a natural disaster, and recovery efforts may include prioritization of these households. Hurricane Sandy was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in the Northeastern United States on October 29, 2012. It was reported by meteorologists to be one of the largest Atlantic storms on record, and was classified as a category 3 storm system at its maximum intensity. 1,2 It devastated hundreds of miles of coastline, left 8 million homes without power, caused an estimated 50 billion dollars in damages, and resulted in the death of 132 individuals. 3,4 The Rockaway Peninsula is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the southern end of the borough of Queens in New York City (NYC), and is home to approximately 130 000 individuals. Socioeconomically, Rockaway encompasses luxury summer beachfront houses at its westernmost tip and government housing projects toward the east. Geographically isolated from Manhattan, it was structurally isolated without mass transit until 1956. In the mid-20th century, it transformed into an urban beachfront resort that might be accessible to the poor, simultaneously attracting wealthy city beach-goers. Furthermore, city-sponsored housing projects promoted the movement of minorities, recipients of public assistance, the elderly, and those with psychiatric conditions to the peninsula. This resulted in a unique demographic in a relatively small area. 5