“Hospital Emergency Preparedness and Response During Superstorm Sandy,” a report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, reviews the challenges in healthcare facility emergency preparedness and response in wake of the storm. The report found that 89 percent of hospitals in Superstorm Sandy-related declared disaster areas experienced “substantial challenges” responding to the storm, which affected Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York in October 2012. Specifically, the 174 Medicare-certified hospitals in these three states that were examined for this report stated that they struggled with interrelated infrastructure and resource sharing problems in the storm’s aftermath. The report also includes recommendations that might be applicable to hospitals nationwide to help aid their emergency planning efforts.

View the report.