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. 2022 Sep 29;6(10):e2022GH000651.
doi: 10.1029/2022GH000651. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Flood Risk to Hospitals on the United States Atlantic and Gulf Coasts From Hurricanes and Sea Level Rise

A T Tarabochia-Gast  1   2 , D R Michanowicz  1   3 , A S Bernstein  1   4
Affiliations

Flood Risk to Hospitals on the United States Atlantic and Gulf Coasts From Hurricanes and Sea Level Rise

A T Tarabochia-Gast et al. Geohealth. .

Abstract

Hurricanes have caused major healthcare system disruptions. No systematic assessment of hurricane risk to United States hospital-based healthcare delivery has been performed. Here, we show that 25 of 78 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) on the United States Atlantic and Gulf Coasts have half or more of their hospitals at risk of flooding from relatively weak hurricanes. 0.82 m of sea level rise expected within this century from climate change increases the odds of hospital flooding 22%. Furthermore, in 18 MSAs at least half of the roads within 1.6 km of hospitals were at risk of flooding from a category 2 storm. These findings identify previously undescribed risks to hospital-based care delivery in Atlantic and Gulf Coast communities. They suggest that lower intensity hurricanes can have outsized impacts on healthcare access, particularly in places where per capita bed availability is low.

Keywords: climate change; flooding; hospitals; hurricanes; sea level rise; storm surge.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual predicted probability of storm landfall and percentage of beds at risk. Map of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) on the United States Atlantic and Gulf Coasts at risk of hurricane landfall. Shading indicates probability of landfall. Circles represent percent of beds at risk from a category 2 hurricane. Inset depicts focused area of Florida peninsula with hospital locations (white markers) and Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricane model predicted flooding area in blue.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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