A ‘second wave’ of medical issues may slam the region in Helene’s wake, disaster response officials caution

A ‘second wave’ of medical issues may slam the region in Helene’s wake, disaster response officials caution 
NC Health News, by Asheville Watchdog; 10/12/24 
After the floods come the waves. Following the initial health crises in the aftermath of tropical storm Helene, Buncombe County and others inundated by the storm may be facing a secondary medical surge, one driven by infections and diseases and potentially exacerbated by a lack of running water, emergency response officials warned. Helene’s initial devastation in western North Carolina sent hundreds to the hospital with needs for everything from oxygen to traumatic wound care. Now, two weeks after the storm, doctors, health professionals and officials in charge of disaster relief say there could be a second wave of medical concerns affecting hospitals and clinics, and it could be here soon. … “The health consequences of flooding may be described in terms of time as immediate, medium-term, and long-term,” a 2009 study on the health impacts of floods said. “[I]mmediate is considered as the period when the flood is present, medium is the immediate recovery phase (days to weeks), and long-term is the reconstruction phase (months to years) after the flood.”