A report by the American Red Cross and NYU's Center for Catastrophe Preparedness & Response.

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This report summarizes the results of a Long Island survey indicating that while most Nassau and Suffolk residents have taken important preparedness actions, there is still more work to be done. Of the households surveyed, 37 percent report that they are much more prepared for emergencies than a year ago, while only seven percent indicated that they are less prepared.

Still, many on Long Island lack the emergency supplies they need to shelter in their homes, and most lack "go bags” of supplies they would need to bring with them if they had to evacuate. A majority claim to have a household emergency plan, though nearly seven in 10 households with a plan never practiced it. Thirty-six percent of residents admit they don't have an emergency plan for their households and no way to reunite with family and friends during an emergency.

The report concludes with specific recommendations from the American Red Cross and the Offices of Emergency Management (OEM) in Nassau and Suffolk counties to enhance public preparedness on Long Island.

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While a majority of New York's small and medium sized businesses claim to be better prepared, only one quarter have a formal preparedness program in place and only four in ten have provided any preparedness information or training to their employees. Establishing a formal program and training and informing employees are core elements of business preparedness.

This report summarizes the findings of a New York City-wide survey that both assesses the state of preparedness of New York"s small and medium sized businesses and identifies key reasons why they do and do not prepare for emergencies. Small and medium sized businesses surveyed cited risk to employees and business operations (69-percent), legal liability (51-percent), reputation (49-percent), and insurance requirements (37-percent) as major motivators to prepare.

Through analyzing these results, this report identifies a path forward to improving preparedness before and resiliency after emergencies among small and medium sized enterprises. This path includes the development and promotion of incentives to encourage businesses to better prepare for emergencies large and small.

A report by the American Red Cross in Greater New York and NYU's Center for Catastrophe Preparedness & Response.

Click to Download (585 KB)

This report summarizes the results of a New York City-wide survey indicating that while most New York residents have taken important preparedness actions, there is still more work to be done. Of the households surveyed, 17-percent report that they are much more prepared than this time last year, 22-percent are somewhat more prepared, and 52-percent are about as well prepared. Only seven percent have become less prepared over the past year.

Still, many have not taken tangible steps to prepare for emergencies. A majority claim to have preparedness plans, though nearly seven in ten households with plans report having never tested them. Half of respondents say they have put together emergency supply kits, but most of these kits are incomplete.

Fortunately, many would like to become better prepared by receiving more preparedness information and training. The report concludes with specific action steps both ARC/GNY and NYU will pursue to build on existing preparedness efforts, based on New Yorkers' preferred methods of receiving preparedness information and training.

• The NY Times: "New Yorkers' Disaster Preparedness Falls Short, Study Finds "
• AP/Fox News: "New Yorkers' Emergency Plans Still Lacking"
• Staten Island Advance: "Islanders: We're better prepared for catastrophe"
• The Queens Gazette: "Are We Ready?"
• Gothamist: "New Yorkers Aren't Disaster-Ready"