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Analysis of Emergency Department Use in Houston During Power Outages After Hurricane Beryl to Inform Targeted
Kelsey Caton1, Loren Hopkins1,2, Lance Wood3
1Houston Health Department, City of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Objectives:
To identify changes in emergency department (ED) use in Houston, TX during the mid-summer Hurricane Beryl-induced power outage to inform future targeted public health interventions.
Methods:
Syndromic surveillance system ED visit daily counts for total visits, heat-related illness, carbon monoxide poisoning, acute cardiac condition, stroke, dialysis, and medication refills post-hurricane were statistically compared to the 2 weeks prior and plotted alongside the percentage of the population with power outage.
Results:
Daily ED visits post-storm were statistically higher (P< 0.05) than the 2 weeks prior for total visits and acute cardiac events (Day 1, 2); heat-related illness (Day 1-3); dialysis (Day 0-3); and carbon monoxide poisoning and medication refill (Day 1-9).
Conclusions:
While 50% of the city experienced power outages from high winds, total ED visits, acute cardiac events, and heat-related illness were statistically higher in the first 3 days after Beryl than expected. Houston developed targeted messaging to mitigate these events in future disasters.
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