A new study by HwaJung Choi, Theodore Iwashyna, and colleagues found that within 30 days of the 2011 superstorm tornadoes in the southeast U.S., all-cause older adult hospital admissions rose 4% in affected zip code areas. Excluding admissions during the first 3 days after the disaster, which may have been attributed to immediate injuries, they found hospitalizations for any cause also remained higher than in the other 11 months of the year. ICU admissions and in-hospital mortality associated with the natural disaster did not increase. This work has importance for disaster recovery and hospital surge policies and procedures.

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