impacted

The word “impacted” means having been struck by, or affected by, an impact. In plain terms, affected by something, or (for teeth) stuck and unable to come through normally.

Here is “impacted” used in a sentence: “The impacted region saw its economy shrink for years.”

“Impacted” is an adjective.

“Impacted” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Impacted” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: having been struck by, or affected by, an impact.

Impacted often implies a stronger or more direct influence, sometimes physical, such as being struck by something, while affected is a more general term for any kind of influence, positive or negative, strong or subtle. In everyday use many people treat them as near synonyms, though impacted originally carried a more forceful sense.

An impacted tooth, most often a wisdom tooth, is one that is wedged against another tooth or bone and cannot emerge properly through the gum. This condition often requires dental treatment such as extraction.

Yes, this is a common and accepted usage, meaning the community was struck or significantly affected by the disaster. This figurative sense of impacted, meaning strongly affected, is now widely used in news and everyday writing.