OEM is one of the first emergency management agencies in the country to closely
study its resident and working populations. In order to better understand the
needs of New Yorkers, OEM set out to find out more about them. In 2004, OEM
began compiling 2000 Census data, and generated a series of demographic maps to
analyze different sections of the city. The maps highlight characteristics such
as language concentration, ages, and modes of transportation throughout the five
boroughs. Collectively, they showcase the city’s extremely diverse constituents.
Using Census data to create visual tools, OEM works to communicate more
effectively with the communities it serves.
With the project’s completion, OEM has begun to use the language maps to
identify which neighborhoods require outreach in languages other than English.
Since OEM has a citywide educational program, Ready New York, knowledge of
neighborhood languages is essential to relay preparedness messages
successfully.
From the Census research, OEM found the most frequently-spoken languages
other than English are Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. Based on these
findings, most Ready New
York publications are now available in Spanish, Chinese, and Russian,
among other languages. OEM continues to develop literature in even more
languages and formats, such as Polish, Arabic, and Braille. View map of non-English language
distribution in NYC (PDF, 7.94 MB) Get Adobe Acrobat
DEMOGRAPHICS AND PLANNING
For the City’s Hurricane Evacuation and Transit Strike plans, OEM must
consider the city’s concentration of car-owners. In order to moderate
traffic within the city and assess residents’ ability to leave their homes, OEM
must know where people will likely drive private vehicles and where people will
use public transportation. View
map of the city's concentration of car owners (PDF, 404 Kb) Get Adobe Acrobat
Population density is another important factor in creating these plans. City
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) staff has created a Hurricane Evacuation
Zone Finder. Depending on home address and mode of transportation, this tool
directs hurricane-vulnerable New Yorkers to one of 65 evacuation centers outside
the evacuation zones. View
population density map (PDF, 404 Kb) Get Adobe Acrobat
OEM’s goal is to learn as much about the City’s population as possible in
order to serve its people well. The agency hopes to incorporate more findings
from this Census research as it continues to develop and revise
plans.
