In thinking about hurricanes, people often focus on the immediate risks — the storm surge, the winds, the rains and floods. But even after these have passed, hurricanes can still present significant health risks to people living in affected areas, as they recover and rebuild, according to Healthline.
Standing water offers all sorts of opportunities for mosquitos to breed, with the associated diseases like West Nile and Zika, and those forced into crowded emergency shelters can find themselves at risk of any easily shared viruses. Additionally, flooding from the storm can result in issues with general water safety, due to overwhelming of wastewater or sewage facilities, or spills and runoff from industrial sites.
Breathing issues can also abound, as damp conditions caused by flooding can encourage the growth of molds capable of causing respiratory and other problems. Breathing issues can also be aggravated by other air pollutants, like the gasses put off from generators being used by people while the power grid is disrupted, due to poor ventilation.
Even more significantly, mental health issues often boom in the aftermath of a natural disaster, due to the stresses caused by the event and recovery, with a recent study showing up to 30% of those who had experience flooding from a natural disaster developing PTSD, according to The Washington Post.
Source:
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/hurricane-ian-impact-the-unexpected-health-effects
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/09/30/ian-environmental-hazards/
