EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMUNICATION PATHWAYS WITHIN NEW YORK COUNTIES

Abstract

Severe weather and natural or man-made disasters continue to impact every state across the United States and even every nation globally. Emergency preparedness and the ability to respond to and recover from catastrophic events is a critically important element for all communities. There is not a standard response mechanism used nationally despite having the existence of organizations such as FEMA. States vary in the response mechanisms in place, but some communities have set up programs to address catastrophic events. This study focuses on New York counties utilizing emergency coordinators and supporting organizations within governmental agencies and across their communities to establish protocols and ensure action plans are in place. The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is one group tasked with information transmission in counties as mandated by the state, but it is not implemented to the same degree in all areas. This study seeks to understand the use of LEPCs in upstate counties (outside New York City and Long Island) to clarify communication mechanisms used and compare with state level data on communication effectiveness in both rural and urban settings. In general, counties rely on the Emergency Management Coordinator to develop sound communication networks to plan for disasters. There is also support for the development of mechanisms to better inform community residents both in planning and implementing recovery efforts after a disaster.