Natural Disasters – NYU GPH Journal of Public Health Disasters

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026

Jose Flores Hernandez, Lawrence Mfutso, Oluwadunsin Jenrola, and Berkeley Sanchez’s Disaster Plan: Hurricanes in Coastal Areas of Mexico

Hurricane overview — Satellite view. Hurricane Florence over the Atlantics close to the US coast . Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

Introduction: Mexico’s coastal regions face recurring threats from hurricanes and storms, which have intensified in both frequency and severity in recent years due to ongoing climate change. The country’s long coastline along both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans makes it particularly vulnerable to these natural hazards. According to analyses informed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the North Atlantic has experienced an increase in the proportion and intensity of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes over recent decades, a trend linked in part to rising sea surface temperatures.

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026

Marsha Williams, Catherine Martinez, Yashvee Shah, Zuha Baig, Berkeley Sanchez, and Jose Flores Hernandez’s Disaster Plan: Hurricanes in the Caribbean Region

Introduction: Haiti is located on the western third of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Its mountainous terrain, densely populated urban centers, and widespread coastal settlements make it exceptionally vulnerable to hurricanes and other hydrometeorological hazards. Sharing the region’s exposure to intense tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall, storm surges, and flooding, Haiti has experienced events that have historically caused devastating human and economic losses

December 30, 2025December 30, 2025

Savannah Bush, Kimari McCoy, and Cara Rubin’s Disaster Plan: Guadalupe River Flooding & Drownings

Introduction: The Guadalupe River Basin is situated near Texas’s “Flash Flood Alley,” where flooding occurs frequently and rapidly due to the state’s unique natural terrain.1 The weak soil and steep terrain cannot withstand sudden downpours, causing rivers to rise with alarming speed. The October 1998 flood, when nearly half a meter of rain fell in a single day, serves as a horrifying reminder of this threat.

December 30, 2025December 30, 2025

Berkeley Sanchez, Kunger Zhang, and Maram Hameed’s Disaster Plan: Tornado Preparedness

Nebraska is deeply affected by tornadoes yearly due to its geographic location in the central U.S. tornado corridor. Yearly, it suffers from 50-60 tornadoes with about 100 occurrences in 2024. The vulnerable communities include small towns, mobile home parks, light industrial zones and agricultural areas. Residents in mobile homes are most at risk due to the structural design of their residence.

December 30, 2025December 30, 2025

Raveena Bola’s Case Study on Memorial Medical Center

Hurricane Katrina from August 2025 led to catastrophic flooding in the hardest hit states of New Orleans, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. It caused 1392 deaths and $125 billion in damages the U.S. Flooding also affected hospitals and their residents significantly. In this case study, Raveena analyzed the case study of Hurricane Katrina and its detrimental impact on the facility and patients at Memorial Medical Center. Due to the failure of backup generators from water submersion and the lack of an evacuation plan in place, 200 patients and 1800 staff/family members were tracked inside from Aug 29 to Sep 1, 2025, with an eventual death toll of 45.

December 27, 2025December 27, 2025

Skyler Simbulan’s Case Study Presentation on Typhoon Yolanda

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Yolanda, made landfall in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. With winds exceeding 195 miles per hour, the typhoon resulted in millions of individuals displaced and over 6,000 deaths.

Simbulan speaks to the epidemiological and management facts of the case, specifically areas of improvement for government planning. The author reflects on the survivors’ experiences and emphasizes the need for clear and culturally appropriate warning systems.

November 16, 2025December 30, 2025

Xuliang Xiao’s Case Study on the 2010 Haiti Earthquake

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck just outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti, resulting in massive loss of life and widespread destruction.

November 16, 2025November 16, 2025

Raveena Bola’s Case Study on Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina, Memorial Medical Center:

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina landed on the gulf coast of the United States. Flooding and an inadequate levee system exacerbated the issue, resulting in widespread deaths and damages. Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans faced a dilemma during this cyclone. The flooding waters trapped over 200 patients and roughly 1,800 staff and patient family members.,

November 16, 2025November 16, 2025

Cara Rubin’s Case Study on the 2020 California Wildfires

On the night of August 15, 2020, over 300 lightning strikes occurred throughout various parts of Northern California, which triggered a siege of uncontrollable wildfires. The California wildfires in 2020 resulted in the start of 10,000 fires over the course of the year, which ultimately burned over 4.2 million acres across the state.

November 16, 2025November 16, 2025

Kimari McCoy’s Case Study on the 2010 and 2021 Haitian Earthquakes

On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. More than 220,000 people died, 300,000 were injured, and 1.5 were left displaced or homeless. The quake was one of the deadliest natural disasters in the 21st century. Another earthquake in 2021 killed about 2,200 people, injured 12,000 more, and displaced about 650,000.