C h i r o n i a n
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New York Medical College
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YARD track record for responding to a range of disasters, including bioterrorism and local public health emergencies. The Center conducts interdisciplinary research, training, technical assistance and educational activities related to emergency preparedness, with a special focus on children and other vulnerable populations. For Michael J. Reilly, Dr.P.H. ’10, M.P.H., the Center’s director and the study’s principal investigator, it is important to know what, if any, kinds of interventions can safeguard the public’s health, especially in this age of climate change, when “superstorms” and other environmental crises are becoming increasingly—and alarmingly—common. “Little is known about the effectiveness of such education programs for lay recovery workers following a disaster,” says Reilly, who is an assistant professor of environmental health sciences. “What we’re trying to show is whether the training made a difference in the health of individuals doing response work.”
Hurricane Sandy tore through the East Coast during the final balmy autumn days of 2012, devastating swaths of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. As floodwaters receded, temperatures began dropping. Desperate to restore water, heat and electricity to storm-ravaged homes before winter set in, many residents—with little or no experience working with environmental hazards—took it upon themselves to remove dry wall, rugs and furniture from their homes or the homes of neighbors, homes that most likely were infested with mold, asbestos, sewage, and other contaminants. “These were not skilled professionals, experienced with remediating homes with storm-related damage. Homeowners and well-intentioned volunteers were exposing themselves to various environmental contaminates, particularly mold,” Reilly says. In this spontaneous group clean-up effort, DOHMH officials saw an immediate need to educate recovery workers in the