More Victims Die in Hurricane’s Aftermath

For most of this century, hurricanes were deadliest when they struck. They killed by drowning people in tidal surges or flash floods.

That’s no longer true.

More of the deaths attributed to hurricanes occur after the height of the storm. At the same time, because of better warnings, the number of hurricane deaths overall is dropping.

As recently as 1969, when most of Hurricane Camille’s 256 victims drowned, a single storm could kill hundreds. But now fewer than 50 people each year die from hurricanes, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Last year, with 11 storms, was one of the busiest hurricane seasons in the country’s history. Hurricane Marilyn, which struck U.S. territories in the Caribbean, and Hurricane Opal, which struck the Southeast, were the deadliest, killing 37 people.

One reason for the decline in hurricane deaths is that meteorology is far more sophisticated; with detailed warnings in advance of a hurricane, people have more time to prepare or evacuate.

But the public isn’t cautioned about the dangers on land after the winds and rains die down or the hazard in trying to ride out a storm at sea, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in January.

Deaths after the height of a storm typically are caused by falling trees, chain-saw mishaps and traffic accidents, the CDC said.

“It’s not that there are more deaths occurring, but that the impact has shifted” to after the storm, said Annemarie Wasley of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.

The trend was evident when 22 of Hurricane Hugo’s 35 victims died after the 1989 storm hit. It continued during Hurricane Andrew, when 18 of the 32 deaths occurred after the 1992 storm struck.

“It shows that people have got the message when the storm is immediately overhead, but they’re not aware that there are hazards after it has passed,” she said.

Opal, which landed in October near Pensacola, Fla., killed 27 people in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina. One died in a tornado before the storm hit, 13 died during the storm, and 13 died after the storm.

The CDC did not have figures from other recent storms, but Wasley said figures kept by other agencies show the same shift.

The CDC also reported that of the 10 people killed in Marilyn, eight died at sea during the storm. The other two deaths were indirectly attributed to the hurricane--one person was electrocuted while trying to remove a television antenna and the other died of natural causes in a shelter.

“Although it seems obvious, warnings should emphasize that being on a boat is not a good place during a hurricane,” Wasley said.

The CDC recommended that emergency officials focus public warnings on the dangers before, during and after hurricanes.