Elderly Mortality and Disaster: A scoping review

This project reviews research on elderly mortality in disasters, addressing how intersecting vulnerabilities, such as chronic illness, limited mobility, and socioeconomic disadvantage, amplify risks for older adults. Drawing on 82 peer-reviewed articles published since 2000, the review categorizes studies by hazard type, disaster stage, and social vulnerability indicators. Findings reveal a strong focus on natural hazards, especially heatwaves and hurricanes, and on emergency response and mitigation stages, with little attention to technological or intentional hazards, long-term recovery, or protective infrastructure. Social factors like poverty, minority status, and transportation barriers are rarely examined. The review underscores critical research gaps, including inadequate mortality data, limited global and gender-diverse perspectives, and insufficient integration of older adults’ needs into disaster planning. It calls for more interdisciplinary, inclusive, and globally coordinated research to inform equitable disaster risk reduction and policy.