Floods could be deadlier than previously thought — and from more than just drowning.
A study published Tuesday in Nature found that the number of U.S. deaths in flooded areas continued to rise for up to three months after the disaster, resulting in a 25 percent higher death rate from things like infections, injuries and heart disease, compared with periods of no flooding.
The researchers from Columbia University used a statistical model to analyze national death data from 2001 to 2018 and calculate how death rates changed in the three months following floods versus normal conditions.
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They found that the residents of 2,711 counties experienced floods during that time frame, with heavy rain and snowmelt being the top causes of flooding.
