Abstract
Power outages can impact health, and certain populations may be more at risk. Personal preparedness may reduce impacts, but information on power outage preparedness and risk perception among vulnerable populations is limited. We examined power outage preparedness and concern among New York City residents, including vulnerable populations defined as older adults (≥ 65 years), and respondents with household members who require assistance with daily activities or depend on electric medical devices. A random sample telephone survey was conducted during November–December 2016. Preparedness was defined as having a three-day supply of drinking water, non-perishable food, and a working flashlight. Among all respondents (n = 887), 58% were prepared and 46% expressed concern about health. Respondents with electric-dependent household members (9% of all respondents) tended to have higher preparedness (70 vs. 56% of respondents without electric-dependent household members). Among this group, only 40% reported being registered with a utility company to receive early notification of outages. While the subgroup sample was small, respondents with registered electric-dependent household members had lower preparedness than those with non-registered users (59 vs. 76%). Respondents with household members who needed assistance had comparable levels of preparedness to respondents without someone who needed assistance (59 vs. 57%). Older adults had greater preparedness than younger adults (65 vs. 56%). Health concerns were greater among all vulnerable groups than the general population. Levels of preparedness varied among vulnerable respondents, and awareness of power outage notification programs was low. Our findings highlight the need to increase awareness and preparedness among at-risk people.
Highlights
IntroductionWhile major outages are relatively infrequent in New York City (NYC), the city has experienced health impacts due to power outages, most notably the August 2003 Northeast outage that affected the entire city, home to over eight million residents [1], and the outages caused by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 [2]
Power outages can greatly impact public health
While major outages are relatively infrequent in New York City (NYC), the city has experienced health impacts due to power outages, most notably the August 2003 Northeast outage that affected the entire city, home to over eight million residents [1], and the outages caused by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 [2]
Summary
While major outages are relatively infrequent in New York City (NYC), the city has experienced health impacts due to power outages, most notably the August 2003 Northeast outage that affected the entire city, home to over eight million residents [1], and the outages caused by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 [2]. The 2003 power outage has been associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality [3] and respiratory hospitalizations [4]. It disrupted refrigeration, potable water pumping equipment in buildings with more than six floors, and elevators—compromising the safety of water and food and stranding residents in their apartments [5, 6]. Some of the direct health effects of Superstorm Sandy included disruptions in dialysis treatments, increased emergency room visits for renal- and respiratory-related conditions, and increased carbon monoxide exposures and poisonings [7, 8]
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