Overview

• Published August 6 in Frontiers in Public Health, the study found seniors in Sandy-flooded zip codes faced a 9% higher all-cause death rate over five years.
• Researchers analyzed Medicare data from nearly 300,000 beneficiaries aged 65 and older who remained in the same zip codes from 2013 to 2017, controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors.
• Mortality risk rose by 19% in flooded areas of Connecticut and by 8% in New York City, with no significant increase detected in New Jersey or upstate New York.
• The team divided the tri-state region into 959 zip-code tabulation areas, identifying 454 as flooded and comparing them with nearby non-flooded zones.
• Findings prompt calls for region-specific, long-term disaster response plans to protect vulnerable elderly populations as intense storms become more frequent.