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A 2026 study of North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who relied on electricity-dependent medical equipment found hurricane-related health risks varied by how exposure was measured. County disaster declarations showed no significant immediate changes after Hurricanes Matthew or Florence, while more detailed flood data showed stronger associations with hospitalizations and deaths, and 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 hospitalizations and deaths, with Black individuals experiencing worse short- and long-term outcomes as flood severity increased. The 2026 research examined Hurricanes Matthew and Florence and found that results differed depending on how researchers measured exposure to the storms.
Published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the study assessed immediate and sustained outcomes among older adults using equipment such as ventilators, respirators and dialysis machines. Researchers examined hospitalizations and deaths during the year following Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018.
When exposure was measured using county-level federal disaster declarations, the researchers found no significant immediate changes after either hurricane. They did find sustained increases in hospitalizations and deaths over the year after Matthew. Those findings do not establish that the storms caused individual health outcomes, and the report does not provide numerical estimates in its summary.
A second analysis used the North Carolina Flood Extent Archive, which provides more geographically detailed flood information. With this measure, the study found stronger and more consistent associations between hurricane exposure and hospitalizations and deaths. The report says Black individuals had worse short- and long-term outcomes as flooding severity increased; it does not give the size of those differences in the supplied summary.
Flood Exposure Tracks Health Risks
People who depend on powered medical equipment can face particular risks when a storm disrupts electricity, access to treatment or the services that support care. This study focuses on an older population whose health may depend on reliable use of devices including ventilators and dialysis machines. Its findings point to possible health consequences that extend beyond the immediate period of a hurricane.
The difference between the two exposure measures matters for disaster planning and research. County disaster declarations did not show significant immediate changes, while the more detailed flood records showed stronger associations. That contrast suggests that broad administrative boundaries may not capture the variation in actual flood exposure within communities. The study also identifies a disparity: Black participants experienced worse outcomes as flooding severity increased. The report does not explain the causes, but the finding supports closer attention to unequal effects when preparing for and responding to floods.
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Two North Carolina Hurricanes Studied
The research covered Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018, focusing on Medicare beneficiaries in North Carolina aged 65 or older who used electricity-dependent medical equipment. It compared outcomes immediately after the storms with those over the following year, distinguishing short-term effects from longer-lasting patterns.
The work was published in 2026 under the title “Assessing the effects of hurricane hazards on hospitalization or death among older adults using electricity-dependent medical devices.” The report credits a research team that linked hurricane hazard and health care utilization data in North Carolina and worked with affected communities. The supplied account describes the study’s main findings but does not include its full methods, sample size or detailed statistical results.
“This work lays the foundation for studying how hurricanes and floods affect medically vulnerable populations more broadly—and for partnering with community organizations and local and state agencies to strengthen disaster preparedness and planning.”
— Jennifer L. Lund, senior author and researcher at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
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Limits of the Available Findings
The published summary does not report the number of participants, the size of the estimated increases, or the specific time points at which outcomes changed. It also does not provide enough detail to determine which factors account for the worse outcomes among Black individuals as flood severity rose. The reported associations should not be read as proof that flooding caused each hospitalization or death.
The difference between findings based on disaster declarations and those based on flood extent also leaves open how results might vary in other locations or among people outside the study population. The research covered older Medicare beneficiaries in one state and two hurricanes; the supplied material does not establish that the same patterns apply to younger adults, other regions or every type of storm.
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Further Research and Preparedness
The study’s authors say the work provides a basis for examining hurricane and flood effects among medically vulnerable populations more broadly. Lund also pointed to partnerships with community organizations and local and state agencies as part of efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and planning.
The supplied report does not announce a specific follow-up study, policy change or timetable. Further research could clarify how the observed risks vary by flood severity, location and access to power or health care, but those questions remain open. For now, the findings offer an evidence base for agencies and communities considering the needs of older adults who rely on powered medical devices during and after severe flooding.
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Key Questions
Who did the study examine?
It examined North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who used electricity-dependent medical equipment.
Which hurricanes were included?
The researchers studied outcomes after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018, including the year following each storm.
What were the main findings?
County-level disaster declarations showed no significant immediate changes after either hurricane, though hospitalizations and deaths increased over the year after Matthew. More detailed flood data showed stronger and more consistent associations between exposure and those outcomes.
What did the study report about racial differences?
The report says Black individuals experienced worse short- and long-term outcomes as flooding severity increased. The supplied summary does not explain the causes or quantify the differences.
Does the study prove hurricanes caused the hospitalizations and deaths?
No. The reported findings are associations between hurricane or flood exposure and health outcomes. The summary does not establish that exposure caused each individual hospitalization or death.
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