TL;DR
Turn quiet afternoons into listening time
- Thousands of audiobooks, podcasts and originals
- Listen on your phone, tablet or Echo — also offline
- Cancel anytime
A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined older North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries who used electricity-dependent medical devices during Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. County-level disaster declarations showed no significant immediate changes after either storm, while a higher-resolution flood dataset showed stronger associations between exposure and hospitalizations and deaths. The researchers also reported worse outcomes for Black individuals as flooding severity increased.
A study of North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who used electricity-dependent medical devices found that hurricane-related flooding was associated with higher hospitalizations and deaths, with worse outcomes for Black individuals as flood severity increased. Published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the research examined Hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018 and found that results varied depending on how storm exposure was measured.
The researchers assessed the immediate and sustained effects of the two hurricanes on hospitalizations and deaths among older adults who relied on equipment such as ventilators, respirators and dialysis machines. Using county-level Federal Emergency Management Agency presidential disaster declarations, they found no significant immediate changes after either storm. Over the year following Hurricane Matthew, however, hospitalizations and deaths increased on a sustained basis.
When the team instead used the North Carolina Flood Extent Archive, a higher-resolution measure of flood exposure, it found stronger and more consistent associations between hurricane exposure and both outcomes. The report says Black individuals experienced worse short- and long-term outcomes as flooding severity increased. The supplied study summary does not provide effect sizes or enough detail to determine how large those differences were.
The paper, titled “Assessing the effects of hurricane hazards on hospitalization or death among older adults using electricity-dependent medical devices,” appeared in the journal in 2026. Its DOI is 10.1111/jgs.70757. The findings describe associations in the studied population; they do not establish that a particular storm exposure directly caused an individual hospitalization or death.
Flood Exposure and Medical Vulnerability
People who depend on powered medical equipment can face particular risks when storms disrupt electricity, transport, access to care or household conditions. This study links hurricane hazards with hospital use and mortality in a medically vulnerable older population, making the findings relevant to emergency planning by health systems and public agencies.
The different results from county disaster declarations and the more detailed flood archive also matter for how researchers and officials identify affected communities. Broad county classifications may not capture variation in flooding within a county. The study suggests that more localized flood information can reveal patterns that a county-level designation may miss, although the report does not test specific preparedness measures or show which interventions would reduce harm.
The reported differences by race raise a further planning concern: risks may not be evenly distributed as flooding worsens. The summary does not explain the causes of those differences, so they should not be treated as evidence of a single mechanism. They do point to the need for research and emergency planning that account for disparities in exposure and access to support.
electricity-dependent medical device backup battery
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Two Hurricanes, Two Exposure Measures
The analysis focused on Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2018) in North Carolina and used Medicare data for people aged 65 or older identified as using electricity-dependent medical equipment. The researchers considered outcomes immediately after the storms as well as over the following year, allowing them to examine whether patterns were limited to the period around landfall.
One approach classified exposure using FEMA presidential disaster declarations at county level. The other drew on the state’s Flood Extent Archive, which provides a more detailed way to assess where flooding occurred. The contrast between the results underscores that exposure definitions can shape what patterns emerge in studies of disaster-related health outcomes. The report identifies the work as a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, not a clinical guideline or a forecast of outcomes in future storms.
“Over the past two years, our team has linked hurricane hazard and health care utilization data in North Carolina while working with impacted communities to shape this research.”
— Jennifer L. Lund, Ph.D., senior author, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Limits of the Reported Findings
The available summary does not give the study’s sample size, numerical effect estimates, confidence intervals or detailed definitions of the immediate and longer-term periods. It also does not specify the exact scale of the racial differences or identify the factors that may explain them. Those details are needed to assess the size and precision of the reported associations.
The findings cover two hurricanes in one state and older Medicare beneficiaries using electricity-dependent equipment. They cannot automatically be generalized to younger people, other regions, other disasters or everyone who uses powered medical devices. The summary also does not establish that hurricanes caused the observed outcomes, nor does it report whether individual patients lost power or had interruptions to treatment.
Further Research and Preparedness Planning
Lund said the research is intended to support broader work on how hurricanes and floods affect medically vulnerable populations, alongside partnerships with community organizations and local and state agencies. The report does not announce a specific follow-up study, timetable or policy change.
Further analyses could clarify how risk varies by flood severity, location and patient circumstances, and whether the patterns seen in North Carolina extend to other storms and populations. Until such evidence is available, the reported results should be read as a warning about observed associations—not as a quantified prediction for a future hurricane.
Key Questions
Who did the study examine?
It examined North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who used electricity-dependent medical equipment, including devices such as ventilators, respirators and dialysis machines.
What happened after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence?
Using county-level FEMA disaster declarations, researchers found no significant immediate changes after either hurricane. They observed sustained increases in hospitalizations and deaths over the year following Matthew. A higher-resolution flood dataset showed stronger and more consistent associations with both outcomes.
Did the study find different outcomes by race?
The study summary reports that Black individuals had worse short- and long-term outcomes as flood severity increased. It does not provide the size of the differences or establish why they occurred.
Does the research prove that flooding caused deaths or hospitalizations?
No. The reported results are associations between hurricane or flood exposure and health outcomes. The supplied summary does not establish direct causation for individual cases.
What does the study say about future preparedness?
Senior author Jennifer L. Lund said the work lays groundwork for further research and partnerships with community groups and government agencies on disaster planning. The report does not announce a specific new preparedness program or recommendation.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
