Identifying the Effect of Severe Weather caused Power Outages on Human Health

Background: Severe storms have been increasing in the United States over the past several decades. As the increase in storm frequency and intensity leads to an increase severe weather caused power outages. The increase in power outages can have a host of impacts health and wellbeing. Research Question: The goal of this study is to identify how severe storm power outages are impacting the health of individuals living in states part of the Southeast Reliability Corporation (SERC). Methods: U.S. Energy Information Administration data on severe weather caused power outages from "Major Events and Unusual Occurrences" was selected for the period 2003-2004. Counties were identified by using using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's "Storm Events Database" to select counties that experienced the that type of severe weather event on the date in the state that experienced the power outage. Mortality related to the use of electricity durable medical equipment[Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease, Heart Failure, Renal Failure, Nutritional Deficiencies, Crohn's], was selected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics Vital Statistics Multiple Cause Mortality files. A fixed effects regression was run on the data looking at the relation of outages and deaths. Results: Report severe weather caused power outages were found in three states in 2003 (Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia), and seven states in 2004 (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Mississippi).The OLS linear regression found a coefficient (deaths) of 0.000111 and an R2 of 0.0879. Discussion: This study is one of first to work to quantify the impacts that severe weather caused power outages have on heath. Though the results from the first two years analyzed did not show a significant relationship there is potential assess a relationship the years from 1999 to 2022. Approximately, a third of the counties had to be excluded due to their populations being less than 100,000, which excluded their county code in the public use Multiple Cause Mortality files. In future the use of CDC Restricted-Use Vital Statistics can help improve the study.