Mapping the Storm: Linking Tornado Paths to Emergency Room Surges Through Geocoded Patient Data

Natural disasters, such as tornadoes, pose significant challenges to public health systems, often resulting in acute increases in emergency department utilization. This study examines healthcare utilization patterns in response to the May 16th St. Louis tornado and the use of geocoding in retrospective and modeling of healthcare demand in the context of severe weather. The primary objectives are to define the tornado's trajectory and affected geographic areas, quantify changes in emergency room (ER) visit volumes during pre-disaster and post-disaster periods, and assess the spatial association between patient proximity to the tornado's path and the likelihood of ER utilization for specific health events. De-identified patient data were extracted from Washington University School of Medicine's electronic health record system. HIPAA-compliant geocoding was used to convert patient addresses into latitude and longitude coordinates, enabling distance calculations from each patient to the tornado's path.