Chronic stress and lost time from work – report shows basement flooding is worse than thought

Monday, June 11, 2018

A new study has calculated the lost time from work and the mental health impacts resulting from basement flooding.

Of all extreme weather events in Canada, flooding is currently the costliest, causing millions of dollars in property damage. Nonetheless, the impact of basement flooding on time off work and the mental health of impacted homeowners has barely been explored, until now.

The research from the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, at the University of Waterloo, and funded by Manulife and Intact Financial Corporation, quantified the health impacts to homeowners in Burlington, Ontario, following a major storm in August of 2014 when 3,500 homes were flooded. These findings are published in the report released today: After the Flood – The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health and Lost Time from Work.

Read the full press release from ICCA Canada.

Original story appeared on Faculty of Environment news page.