Severe flooding raises deadly overdose risk in rural Appalachia, study finds – and the harm lasts for years

When flooding hits rural areas like Appalachia, it can weaken support systems that have taken years to build. At the same time, residents in drug or alcohol recovery are under extraordinary stress from the loss of homes, jobs and sometimes friends and family. In our recent study, Mengjun Ge, Zhen Lei and I assessed how floods might increase substance use-related harms. We found large increases in overdose deaths in flood-damaged areas and evidence that the harm continues for years.