Adjusted Mortality Rate Increased for Seniors After Hurricane-Related Flooding

FRIDAY, Aug. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For older adults, the overall adjusted mortality risk is higher in flooded regions versus nonflooded regions for up to five years after hurricane landfall, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in Frontiers in Public Health.

Olivia J. Keenan, from the Weill Cornell Medical College at Cornell University in New York City, and colleagues examined mortality rates among older adults who continued living in ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) impacted by flooding from Hurricane Sandy for up to five years after landfall in a propensity score-matched analysis conducted across the tristate area. All-cause mortality rates were compared between matched flooded versus nonflooded ZCTAs among Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries aged 65 years and older who remained in the same ZCTA from 2013 to 2017.

The researchers found that the risk for all-cause mortality was 9 percent higher for Medicare FFS beneficiaries who resided and remained in flood-impacted ZCTAs up to five years after the event compared with the beneficiaries in ZCTAs not impacted by flooding, in the matched adjusted analysis (adjusted mortality rate ratio, 1.09). Across geographic regions, adjusted mortality risk varied, with significant 8 and 19 percent higher risks of long-term mortality up to five years after the event seen in New York City ZCTAs and in Connecticut ZCTAs; for New Jersey and New York state, the results were not significant.

“It”s possible that regional nuances in Connecticut influence long-term mortality effects postflood,” coauthor Arnab K. Ghosh, M.D., also from Weill Cornell Medical College, said in a statement. “This could include region-specific policies, infrastructure disruption, and disaster relief.”

Abstract/Full Text