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A hurricane’s aftermath may spur up to 11,000 deaths

An analysis of 501 tropical cyclones reveals excess deaths in the years following a storm 

A man in a blue shirt stands on a deck and looks out over the vast landscape of destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.

Tropical storms and hurricanes like Helene could indirectly cause up to 11,000 deaths in the 15 years that follow the initial destruction.

CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images

By Meghan Rosen

Hurricane Helene may have already hammered the Southeast, but its lethal aftermath could last a decade or more.

Tropical cyclones, which include hurricanes like Helene and other whirling storms, boost local death rates for up to 15 years after whipping along U.S.