IntroductionLin et al (2011) indicate that on August 14, 2003, New York was gripped by a series of power outages that subsequently triggered a shutdown for protection purposes. Although the shutdown was intended for good, millions of New Yorkers in the northeastern United States experienced more than 31 hours of blackouts starting at 4:11 pm on August 14. DeBlasio et al (2004) confirm the arguments of Lin et al (2011) and add that the actual effect of the blackout was very significant for human safety and health, as a survey conducted by the US Department of Transportation found United. For example, they indicate that 11,600 traffic lights went out along with around 413 subway trains that were stopped, thus affecting around 400,000 passengers. The US-Canada Power System Outage Task Force (2003) reports that approximately 800 cases of people trapped in elevators requiring rescue have been recorded. The report also indicated that New York skyscrapers within the affected area were without water as they rely on electric pumps to transport water to all floors. Furthermore, recycling plants were unable to recycle raw wastewater during the blackout period (Lin et al, 2011). Therefore, some waste was pumped into rivers and thus became a health hazard. Numerous studies have been undertaken to determine and illustrate the health risks posed by the New York blackout of August 2003. Studies such as Freese et al (2006) and Kile et al (2005) have succinctly explained how the blackout affected the health system in the affected area. For example, there has been a significant increase in the number of emergency services and 9.1.1 calls. Kile et al (2005) assume that during the blackout period, the hospita... middle of paper... is entrusted. However, the current coordination is not bad as the MTA is the overall umbrella agency that has coordinated several emergency response organizations in New York City. For example, during the blackout period, several stakeholders shared information although communication systems were weak. The impact of the blackout on New York City's transportation sector and health was severe, and important lessons can be learned. Learning from past experiences, such as the 2003 blackout, has been attested to by Volpe (2004), who indicates that the experience would help improve future emergency response. This can also help design effective policies and emergency plans. The personnel had previously become familiar with each other through daily operations and joint terrorism exercises. However, further research is recommended to explore this topic in more detail.