Examining Hurricane Ida's Impact on Mental Health: Results from a Quasi-Experimental Analysis

Abstract

A robust evidence base shows that as climate change continues, there will be an increase in the occurrence of intense tropical cyclones like Hurricane Ida (Kossin et al., 2020). Since the early 1980s, the intensity, frequency, and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest hurricanes have all increased (Kossin et al., 2010;Melillo et al., 2014;Walsh et al., 2014). A recent NOAA report concludes that tropical cyclones' intensity and associated rainfall are likely to increase during the 21st century due to anthropogenic climate change, putting US populations at greater risk for hurricane impacts (Knutson et al., 2019). Direct exposure to climate disaster events yields an increase in mental health consequences in the impacted populations, including anxiety (