OHIO — A study from the MetroHealth System shows as natural disasters grow in intensity and prevalence, millions of Americans are being displaced from their homes, especially those in underrepresented communities.

What You Need To Know

  • Between 2022 to 2023, more than 3.2 million Americans were displaced by natural disasters, the study found

  • The communities most affected by natural disasters were people of color, those in the LGBTQ+ community, had a lower income and more

  • MetroHealth said the study was done to help identify patterns of how all natural disasters can impact different groups of people

The study is set to be published in January in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers gathered data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, which at first was used to identify the social and economic impacts of COVID-19. It has since been expanded to include questions about natural disasters.

Between 2022 to 2023, the study shows more than 3.2 million Americans were displaced by natural disasters. The displacement was more likely to affect those who are either part of the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, have a lower income, food insecurity, financial struggles and other health disparities.

In particular, people of color and those with lower income or education levels had more issues with food and water shortage, unsanitary conditions, feelings of isolations, scams and loss of electricity, according to the study.

The study comes at the helm of two major hurricanes which just stuck the southeastern half of the United States: Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which killed more than 100 people combined, according to federal officials. Additionally, a recent study from the Ohio State University shows weather patterns are likely to become more severe in the next few years, which could increase the number of natural disasters each year.

"The threat of natural disasters continues to escalate as the effects of climate change unfold,” said lead researcher Ther Aung, a researcher with the MetroHealth Population Health and Equity Research Institute. "But a lack of complete, detailed data has made it difficult to know exactly how these disasters affect individuals and families across the nation. This new study provides some of those answers.”

MetroHealth said the study was done to help identify patterns of how all natural disasters can impact different groups of people, rather than previous studies that focused on individual disasters or types of disasters.

“Our findings suggest that addressing social drivers of health and other factors that contribute to vulnerability may help improve disaster preparedness and lessen suffering,” Aung said. “We hope our research will amplify the topic and be a catalyst for action.”