Epidemiological analysis of medical outcomes related to the historic 2008 flood in Winneshiek County, Iowa

Throughout the spring and summer of 2008, the state of Iowa encountered extreme weather events, which have since been recognized as the worst natural disasters in Iowa's history. Heavy rains resulted in historic levels of flooding in the largely rural Winneshiek County, a largely rural county in northeastern Iowa, presented major challenges to the local health care system. Currently there is little research concerning the frequency of medical outcomes following a flood for rural communities. This project sought to identify key medical and public health concerns of communities following severe flooding, utilizing retrospective epidemiological analysis of the medical and public health impact related to the 2008 flood on Winneshiek County. The project involved developing a historical surveillance technique and statistical method to compare the frequencies of ten different medical diagnosis including select injuries, infections, heart attacks, and mental health crises during the non-flood and flood years. Compared to the non-flood years there was an increased frequency of injuries (P< 0.00001) and infections (P <0.05) during the time period immediately following the flood at a local county hospital. Data from this study suggests that a longer period of crisis or a more severe disaster could require advanced planning to prevent a breakdown in local public health care delivery systems. Identifying medical risk factors will aid other rural communities in future emergency medicine and disaster planning.