January 8, 2025
2 minimum read
Hidden causes of flooding include heart attacks and infections
New study finds flood deaths can increase by 25 percent three months after disaster
People inspect flood damage in Biltmore Village due to Hurricane Helen on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Hurricane Helen made landfall in Big Bend, Florida on Thursday night with winds up to 160 mph.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Climate wire | Floods can be more deadly than previously thought, and involve more than just drowning.
Research published on Tuesday nature Researchers found that U.S. deaths in flooded areas continued to rise for up to three months after a disaster, resulting in a 25 percent increase in mortality rates from infections, injuries, and heart disease compared to non-flood periods. I discovered that it was high.
Researchers at Columbia University used statistical models to analyze national mortality data from 2001 to 2018 to determine how mortality rates changed in the three months following a flood compared to normal conditions. I calculated how much.
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They found that residents of 2,711 counties experienced flooding during that period, with heavy rain and snowmelt being the main causes of flooding.
Author and postdoctoral researcher Victoria Lynch said: “Our findings show that floods are the leading cause of most deaths, even if they are associated with rain and snow, which are less likely to elicit a rapid emergency response than hurricanes. “This has been shown to be associated with high mortality rates.” at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
Specifically, researchers found that rainfall-induced flooding was associated with increased mortality from infectious diseases, and snowmelt-induced flooding was associated with increased mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
“There’s a hidden burden of flood exposure that people may not think will affect them over time,” said author Robbie Parks, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University. “Infectious diseases are a big problem, but even the indirect effects of stressful flooding can have an impact on cardiovascular health.”
Reprinted from E&E News Published with permission of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides news that matters to energy and environment professionals.
