Researchers Uncover Hurricane Sandy’s Hidden Death Toll

More than a decade after the drowning of Hurricane Sandy, the eastern coast and the killing of more than 200 people, a new study revealed the constant impact of the storm on the risk of deaths between the elderly. The researchers linked the exposure to the floods of Hurricane with a 9 % increase at the risk of death for people over the age of 65 years who continued to live in the area after landing.

Experts estimate that Hurricane Sandy caused more than $ 60 billion after achieving a decline in 2012. The rise in storms led to the high records and catastrophic floods in the coast in New York and New Jersey, destroying hundreds of thousands of homes. After more than a decade, the affected societies were largely rebuilt, but the invisible impact of the storm on the risks of higher deaths, according to the new study. The researchers say that the results, which were published on Wednesday, August 6, in the Border Journal of Public Health, stresses the need to consider how natural disasters affect public health in the long term, especially among the weak population.

“Hurricanes, associated floods and damages affect the lives of those around them; home repair, and dealing with stress -related stress, can have long -term effects, which can be seen in terms of deaths.”

“We also know from other data from hurricanes that the environment is changing in the affected areas. Socially, people move economically, and enter companies. These factors can also limit social networks and friendships, all of which are especially important for the elderly,” Gush added.

He and his colleagues divided the most affected areas – New York State, New Jersey, Concitect and New York City – into 959 areas scheduling the postal symbol. ZCTAS is generalized representatives of postal symbols used by public health researchers to collect demographic and health information according to the site. Of the 959 ZTCAS, 454 was flooded with Hurricane Sandy, and 505 was within a 10 -miles (16 km) radius from the floods flooded.

The researchers then analyzed the health data from approximately 300,000 residents between the ages of 65 years or older than those who joined medical care and continued to stay in the same postal code area from 2013 to 2017. To isolate the effects of floods associated with the hurricane, they control the higher factors, race, sweat and living, as well as other demographic factors.

The analysis revealed that the beneficiaries of the medical care who remained in the flooding ZCTAS have a much higher risk -9 %-average-from death of all causes compared to those who live in areas that are not affected by the floods. This increase lasted for up to 5 years after beating the hurricane.

Topical increases differ in the dangers of deaths according to the region, but not by ways to expect researchers. The beneficiaries of medical care who lived in parts flooded in Connecticut and New York City showed the largest increases in the risk of death: 19 % and 8 %, respectively. Gush and his colleagues were surprised by the vision that the elderly who lived in the wealthy Contect was worse than those who lived in New York City, where social, economic and demographic characteristics may lead to increased exposure to natural disasters. More research will need to investigate the reasons behind this, but Ghosh is suspected that it may be partially linked to not being prepared for a hurricane in Contecticut, where this state rarely sees tropical storms.

Moreover, New Jersey and New York State have not shown great flood -related effects on elderly deaths. “We were surprised by this result,” said Gush. He explained that this may be because most coastal housing are the homes of one family leave, which limits the consequences of exposure to floods.

Gush hopes that this data will help disaster relief and facilitate them at local and federal levels. He said that organizations need to think about short -term results, but also long -term health problems that stem from hurricanes. “We definitely need more policies and infrastructure, especially since hurricanes become more intense, [frequent]And dangerous. “