Overview

• The retrospective matched cohort analysis paired 2000–2016 Medicare hospitalization records with high-resolution Global Flood Database maps across 72 major flood events and over 4.5 million admissions.
• Within four weeks of flood exposure hospitalisation rates rose by 3.1% for skin diseases, 2.5% for nervous system disorders, 1.3% for musculoskeletal conditions and 1.1% for injuries or poisonings.
• Communities with lower proportions of Black residents saw a 7.6% jump in nervous system admissions while areas with larger Black populations experienced a 6.1% increase in skin disease hospitalisations and a 3.0% rise in mental health–related impacts.
• Researchers attribute older adults’ heightened vulnerability to factors such as immune decline, mobility constraints, pre-existing conditions like dementia and disrupted access to routine care.
• Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the study’s authors recommend targeted community alerts, resilient hospital infrastructure, mobile medicine units, expanded telehealth and drone logistics to reduce post-flood health burdens among seniors.