Floods can leave communities facing higher overdose deaths for years

Floods can leave communities facing higher overdose deaths for years Key takeaways Powered by Yahoo Scout. Yahoo is using AI to generate key points from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Hush Sinn and Holler Harm Reduction provide medical supplies and overdose prevention services to rural mountain communities in North Carolina, with a focus on minimizing the risk of overdose and infection in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Severe flooding in economically distressed Appalachian counties has been associated with higher overdose death rates, with overdose deaths rising in the years following a flood and remaining elevated for at least a decade. Flood-related disruptions can lead to interrupted addiction treatment and harm reduction services, prolonged housing and economic instability, and lasting trauma effects, all contributing to increased overdose risk in affected communities. See more This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and BPR , a public radio station serving western North Carolina.