Spring 2023 Disaster Plans – NYU GPH Journal of Public Health Disasters

July 13, 2023July 13, 2023

Joanna Horvath, Victoria Sevilla, Hyacinth Burrowes, and Gangao Chen’s Wildfire Outbreak Emergency Operations Plan

Due to California’s topography, climate, and vegetation the state provides a “world class” fire environment. By acreage, the largest seven fires in California history have all occurred in the past five years, five of which burned through the state between August and September 2020. To address wildfire response by The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH), the group developed a comprehensive Wildfire Outbreak Emergency Operations Plan.

June 5, 2023June 6, 2023

Sofía Manzi, Tanesha Brewster, Sophie Dornevil, Yunjia Tang’s Hurricane Emergency Response Plan for Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Haiti is extremely vulnerable to hurricanes as a result of the country’s economic condition, poor infrastructure, and deteriorating environmental landscape. Considering the many complications that exacerbate natural disasters’ adverse effect on Haiti, the group created an emergency response plan which provides a proactive approach to disaster management in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

June 5, 2023

Demí Hernández, Dareen Aloufi, Olivia Ducharme, and Jordan Neisler’s Emergency Response Plan for Acute Food Insecurity Due to Hurricanes for Puerto Rico

In September 2017, the Category 5 Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, causing 4,645 deaths and significant damages to the archipelago’s social and infrastructural systems. Food insecurity had long been an issue in the region and was greatly exacerbated by the hurricane: the proportion of the population experiencing food insecurity jumped from 56% to 85%. Federal financial decisions and policy-related complications further worsened the situation, as they often prevented Puerto Rico from receiving much needed assistance and resources from domestic and international organizations.

June 5, 2023June 5, 2023

Gina de la Chesnaye, Nelia Ekeji, Priya Nagireddy, and Prophète Yemima’s Risk Reduction and Management Strategies Surrounding Mental Health Crises Stemming from Continuous & Multiple Disasters

*Photos by Gina de la Chesnaye*. From left to right: 1) *7 month old twins in Moroto District Hospital during the 2022 Famine.* 2) *7 year old boy, Thomas, from Lorikwokwa Village, who had not eaten for 3 days. He was brought to a clinic and found to also be suffering from malaria. August 2022.* 3) *Young mother and baby. Matany Village. Napak District. Karamoja Region.*

In Karamoja Region in northeast Uganda, more than 61% of the population are living in poverty. Flood, drought, famine, armed conflicts, and the consequences of climate change all contribute negatively to the food insecurity crisis in the region, which caused 2,465 fatalities in 2022. Considering the mental health impact of ongoing and concurrent disasters in the affected areas, the group has created a disaster plan to raise mental health awareness and to engage local communities in Karamoja, Uganda.

June 4, 2023June 4, 2023

Maha Hashwi, Haoxuan (Avery) Jiang, Nowshin Mannan, and Keasler Witt’s Emergency Response Plan for Heat Waves in California

Heat waves are among the deadliest weather events, killing thousands of people annually. When the human body exceeds its ability to lose heat, it experiences critical health issues and will ultimately shut down. Severe heat waves are predicted to increase due to climate change, making preparedness and response to heat waves a major public health concern. The issue of excessive heat is a particular issue for California, which experiences a high number of record-breaking heat waves.

June 4, 2023March 29, 2024

Kristen Amick, Ali Husain, Tom O’Neill, and Faria Putal’s Active Shooter Plan for the El Paso Department of Public Health

Mass shootings in America have become a public health emergency due to their frequency and severity. In response, the group has created a disaster management plan that takes a public health approach to mass shootings. The plan is based on the case of the Cielo Vista Walmart shooting in El Paso, Texas, outlining procedures aiming to ensure “that the El Paso Health Department is part of a uniform and unified response to the tragedy of mass shooting events”.

June 4, 2023June 4, 2023

Xinyi Zhang, Hazal Kayalioglu, Jaclyn Perhati, and Jiawen Shou’s Emergency Response Plan for the Republic of Türkiye Earthquake

On February 6th, 2023, southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria were hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake with more than 2,100 aftershocks. The earthquake was estimated to have affected 14 million people and was the strongest earthquake recorded in Turkey since the Erzincan earthquake in 1939.

June 4, 2023June 4, 2023

Heather Yu, Semhal Selamawi, and Hana Berhe’s Report on Measles Vaccination Campaigns Aiming to Decrease the Burden of Infectious Diseases and Future Pandemics

Licensed in 1963, the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine brought down infection rates worldwide with the elimination of measles in the US officially announced in 2000. Due to inconsistent vaccination rates of children in recent years, an increase in cases has been reported. In 2020, MMR vaccinations decreased by 63% in children and 91% in children over two years old.