WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - Westchester County municipalities are teaming with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration as they attempt to better prepare for a potential hurricane evacuation in the future.
Beginning this week, officials will be conducting a phone survey throughout Westchester regarding hurricane evacuation. The data will then be used to support federal, state and local hurricane response planning.
The survey is expected to last approximately four weeks. The last survey of this type was conducted in Westchester more than a decade ago, in 2005.
According to officials, Westchester residents will be contacted by landline telephones and interviewed about a series of issues related to hurricane evacuation. Survey questions include what residents intend to do in certain hypothetical threat scenarios and how they reacted when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast.
Other questions “deal with information sources used during hurricane threats, perceived vulnerability and constraints that may prevent evacuation.” Officials are expected to make 500 interviews in the area, with the survey questions taking approximately 15 minutes to finish. Similar surveys have already been completed in Manhattan and on Long Island.