It has been three years since the flood in the Ahr River Valley of western Germany in July 2021. How are the elderly people in Ahr Valley coping? The climate is changing and extreme weather events, including flooding, happen more often and unpredictably, which poses major threats to human safety and well-being [1]. In April of this year, several floods occurred worldwide causing high numbers of human casualties, economic damage, and adverse effects on well-being [2-5].
At the same time, humans are living longer, and in 2020 the number of people worldwide aged 60 and over exceeded the number of children under five years old [6]. Ageing societies were previously associated with high-income countries, but by 2050, 80% of the world's older people will live in low- and middle-income countries [7]. With the elderly population growing rapidly, it is important to understand the current consequences for them of flooding disasters, identify their needs, and examine the support facilities and health services available to them.
Health of the elderly in the Ahr Valley
In May and June 2024, we conducted fieldwork in Ahr Valley, collecting data to better understand the mental and social health of the elderly and their overall feelings associated with the 2021 flood. Hundreds of households were visited, and nearly 200 elderly flood survivors responded in seven towns along the river. We documented their location during the floods and the effects of the floods on their lives, as well as implications for anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder; and also, how their social life continued after the flood. Group interviews with elderly people and in-depth interviews with individual residents, doctors, volunteers, and other stakeholders revealed the mental and social needs of the elderly and how they were supported and differentiated according to exposure to the floods.
Human resilience
Three years have passed, and reconstruction work is still underway in the Ahr River Valley. The resilience of the natural environment and infrastructure after a flood is reflected in the reconstruction work. For the elderly, their capacity to find their own way to survive in the aftermath of floods and adjust their lifestyles, approaches, and attitudes to adapt to changes that the flood brought about, also expresses their resilience as human beings. The results are still being analyzed and will be made available in early 2025.
More information
If you have further information or questions, please reach out to Ms. Chen Song at c.song2@utwente.nl or by post: Chen Song, University of Twente, ITC Faculty | Gebouw Langezijds 19, Hallenweg 8, 7522 NH Enschede, Netherlands.
References:
[1]. Hrabok, M., Delorme, A., & Agyapong, V. I. O. (2020). Threats to Mental Health and Well-Being Associated with Climate Change. Journal of anxiety disorders, 76, 102295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102295
[2]. https://english.news.cn/20240421/fb563ee84aea441b98c721e60e1cc3cc/c.html
[3]. https://www.weather.gov/lix/neworleansflooding04102024
[4]. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/152754/destructive-floods-afflict-tanzania
[5]. https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/hawaii-kauai-flash-flooding-12-inches-rain-fall-in-hours
[6]. World Health Organization. (2022). Ageing and health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health