Challenges and Resources for Nurses Participating in a Hurricane Sandy Hospital Evacuation

Area of Science:

• Disaster nursing
• Healthcare management
• Emergency preparedness

Background:

• Increasing frequency of weather-related disasters poses significant challenges to healthcare facilities.
• Hurricane Sandy's 2012 flooding necessitated a large-scale patient evacuation at New York University Langone Medical Center.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nurses' perspectives on challenges and resources during a mass patient evacuation.
• To identify implications for nursing education and disaster preparedness.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods study combining qualitative interviews and a cross-sectional online survey.
• Purposive sampling of nurses involved in the Hurricane Sandy evacuation.

Main Results:

• Nurses faced challenges related to limited prior disaster experience and training.
• Key resources included coworker support, personal resourcefulness, and leadership.
• Qualitative data provided context on challenges and effective response strategies.

Conclusions:

• Disaster preparedness education needs more hands-on exercises and "low-tech" solutions for power outages.
• Clear policies defining nurses' roles in disasters are essential.
• Learning from nurses' experiences can improve future disaster response and education.