US Climate and Health Alliance

Health effects of coastal storms and flooding in urban areas: a review and vulnerability assessment

Abstract

Coastal storms can take a devastating toll on the public’s health. Urban areas like New York City (NYC) may be particularly at risk, given their dense population, reliance on transportation, energy infrastructure that is vulnerable to flood damage, and high-rise residential housing, which may be hard-hit by power and utility outages. Climate change will exacerbate these risks in the coming decades. Sea levels are rising due to global warming, which will intensify storm surge. These projections make preparing for the health impacts of storms even more important. We conducted a broad review of the health impacts of US coastal storms to inform climate adaptation planning efforts, with a focus on outcomes relevant to NYC and urban coastal areas, and incorporated some lessons learned from recent experience with Superstorm Sandy. Based on the literature, indicators of health vulnerability were selected and mapped within NYC neighborhoods. Preparing for the broad range of anticipated effects of coastal storms and floods may help reduce the public health burden from these events.

Resource Type
Peer-reviewed article
Authors
Kathryn Lane Kizzy Charles-Guzman Katherine Wheeler Zaynah Abid Nathan Graber Thomas Matte
Resource URL
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2013/913064/
Publication
Journal of Environmental and Public Health
Journal Abbr.
J Environ Public Health
Volume
2013
Pages
913064
Date
2013
DOI
10.1155/2013/913064
ISSN
1687-9813
Short Title
Health effects of coastal storms and flooding in urban areas
Organization Type
Academic
Health and Human Impact
Dislocation/displacement/migration
Climate and Environmental Impacts
Extreme weather events Flooding
Solution
Disaster preparedness
Region
Northeast
Other
Vulnerability assessment

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