Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Publications

2025

The Effectiveness of Two Interventions for Improving Knowledge of Emergency Preparedness Amongst Enrollees of the World Trade Center Health Registry: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Disasters are becoming more common, but many households are still not prepared. People in the World Trade Center Health Registry are even less prepared than the U.S. average. This study tested whether a mailed brochure or a short phone call could improve emergency preparedness. Both methods helped increase knowledge by about 17% and up to 70% increases in individual items — calls and mail worked equally as well. The results show that simple outreach can help, but stronger efforts may be needed to fully prepare people for emergencies.
- Alper, H. E., Gargano, L. M., Hamwey, M. K., Leon, L. F., & Friedman, L. (2025). The Effectiveness of Two Interventions for Improving Knowledge of Emergency Preparedness Amongst Enrollees of the World Trade Center Health Registry: A Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(7), 1082. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22071082

2024

The Association between Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity with Home Evacuation of Lower Manhattan Residents following the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center Disaster
- The study looked to see if residents of Lower Manhattan who identified as non-Hispanic Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, or Hispanic and reported lower household income and educational levels were also less likely to evacuate after 9/11.
- Cone, J. E., Millien, L., Pollari, C., Brite, J., Badger, H., Kubale, J., Noppert, G., Hegde, S., Brackbill, R., & Farfel, M. (2024). The Association between Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity with Home Evacuation of Lower Manhattan Residents following the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center Disaster. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(6), 803. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060803

2018

Adherence to Emergency Public Health Measures for Bioevents: A Review of US Studies
- A review of 153 studies examined why people in the United States follow public health rules during disease outbreaks. Only nine studies met the review’s standards. The studies looked at actions such as hand washing, wearing masks, getting vaccines, staying home, and quarantine. People were more likely to follow these steps when they believed the disease was serious and that they were at risk. The review found that more research is needed on these factors during major outbreaks.
- Gershon, R. R., Zhi, Q., Chin, A. F., Nwankwo, E. M., & Gargano, L. M. (2018). Adherence to Emergency Public Health Measures for Bioevents: Review of US Studies. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 12(4), 528–535. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2017.96

2016

Hurricane Sandy Evacuation among World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) Enrollees in New York City
- This study examined factors associated with evacuation and evacuation timing during Hurricane Sandy. Among respondents who evacuated for Hurricane Sandy (51%), 24% had evacuated before the storm. Those more likely to evacuate knew they resided in an evacuation zone, had evacuated during Hurricane Irene, or reported pre-Sandy community cohesion. Evacuation was less likely among those who reported being prepared for an emergency. For evacuation timing, evacuation before Hurricane Sandy was less likely among those with pets and those who reported 14 or more poor physical health days. Higher evacuation rates were observed for respondents seemingly more informed and who lived in neighborhoods with greater social capital. Improved disaster messaging that amplifies these factors may increase adherence with evacuation warnings.
- Brown, S., Gargano, L. M., Parton, H., Caramanica, K., Farfel, M. R., Stellman, S. D., & Brackbill, R. M. (2016). Hurricane Sandy Evacuation Among World Trade Center Health Registry Enrollees in New York City. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 10(3), 411–419. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2016.57

2015

Exposure to the World Trade Center Disaster and 9/11-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Household Disaster Preparedness
- This study looked at the level of preparedness for Hurricane Sandy in the 9/11-exposed population, and the relationship between preparedness and disaster-related and non-disaster-related characteristics. Participants were considered prepared if they reported possessing at least 7 of 8 standard preparedness items such as a 3-day supply of water, food, first aid kit, battery-operated radio, medications, flashlight, personal care and hygiene items, and evacuation plan. Over one-third of the 4496 enrollees who participated in the survey were prepared, with 18.8% possessing all eight items. High levels of 9/11 exposure were associated with being prepared. Future preparedness messaging should target people with low social support networks. Communications should include information on evacuation zones and where to find information about how to evacuate.
- Gargano, L. M., Caramanica, K., Sisco, S., Brackbill, R. M., & Stellman, S. D. (2015). Exposure to the World Trade Center Disaster and 9/11-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Household Disaster Preparedness. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 9(6), 625–633. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2015.71

2013

Evacuating damaged and destroyed buildings on 9/11 – Behavioral and structural barriers
- A study of 5,023 people who evacuated buildings near the World Trade Center examined what made evacuation harder. About 85% reported at least one behavior-related barrier, while 52% faced a building-related barrier. Smoke, poor lighting, crowded spaces, poor communication, and panic were common problems. Evacuation took longer when people faced more of these barriers. The findings show that emergency plans should address both building conditions and human behavior to help people evacuate safely.
- Groeger, J. L., Stellman, S. D., Kravitt, A., & Brackbill, R. M. (2013). Evacuating Damaged and Destroyed Buildings on 9/11: Behavioral and Structural Barriers. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 28(6), 556–566. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X13008996

2011

World Trade Center Health Registry--a model for a nanomaterials exposure registry
- A study about the World Trade Center Health Registry explains how it was created to follow the health of people affected by the September 11 attacks. The authors found that collecting information early, checking in with people over time, and sharing what they learned helped improve the study. They suggest this approach could be used to help people after future disasters.
- Cone, J. E., & Farfel, M. (2011). World Trade Center Health Registry—A Model for a Nanomaterials Exposure Registry. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 53(Supplement 6S), S48–S51. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e31821b177a