2008 U.S. tropical cyclone deaths (?)

[hurricanetrack]

Is this right? I found it on NOAA's site just now:

http://www.weather.gov/om/hazstats/hurricane08.pdf

I thought Ike claimed more lives in TX than what is shown here.

[Ptarmigan]

One dead in 2008 season in Texas? Not possible.

[cycloneye]

According to wikipedia,112 deaths occured on the Ike landfall in Texas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Atlan ... ricane_Ike

[jinftl]

The differences may have to do with what is considered a 'direct' fatality vs an 'indirect' fatality. That said, the data showing 1 fatality in Texas is hard to even reconcile using a direct/indirect rationale....unless drowning due to flooding was not counted ('wind' fatalities only?). That the report gives no explanation of how the figures were calculated doesn't help.
Even the wikipedia report doesn't mention deaths outside of Texas in the U.S....which did take place. I bet if we looked, we would see discrepancies like this for all storms amongst various reports and data.


NHC Report on Ike (report filed on 1/23/09):

The latest official counts and media reports indicate that 20 people died in Texas,
Louisiana, and Arkansas as a direct result of Ike. Twelve fatalities have been reported in
Galveston and Chambers Counties, Texas, where the worst storm surge occurred, and several
bodies were found within debris fields on the bay side of the Bolivar Peninsula, on Goat Island,
and on the north side of Galveston Bay in Chambers County. Some of the debris fields have yet
to be searched for remains due to lack of funds, and it is possible that the number of fatalities
from storm surge could rise. Several of the deaths were Bolivar residents who did not leave after
the first evacuation orders and were unable to leave once the rising waters cut off evacuation
routes to the mainland. Three other drowning deaths were reported across Texas—one person
drowned in the waters off Corpus Christi, one from storm surge in Orange County near
Beaumont, and one after falling off a boat on Lake Livingston in Trinity County. In addition,
one death in Montgomery County and one in Walker County resulted from trees falling onto the
roofs of occupied houses.

As many as 64 additional indirect deaths were reported in Texas due
to factors such as electrocution, carbon monoxide poisoning, and pre-existing medical
complications.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL092008_Ike.pdf

[vbhoutex]

Yeh, there are some sort of parameters not being shown in that information above. It may be related to TC deaths but only in some narrow parameter which I don't see shown there. I don't know the official death toll for Ike but I know it was not just 1 person.

[hurricanetrack]

They also show "only" 1016 deaths in 2005.

[vbhoutex]

They also show "only" 1016 deaths in 2005.

Yeh, something is missing in that report.

[HurricaneBill]

I think they said Katrina's official death toll was around 1836 or near there. They didn't bother removing indirect deaths, but they said at least 1500 were direct.

I believe the U.S. toll from Ike was 20 deaths. They didn't include the deaths from when Ike was extratropical.

[CrazyC83]

Correct. While a tropical cyclone, the winds and flooding from Ike resulted in 20 deaths. There were over 50 more that were caused by other factors not directly related to the storm's winds and water.

While extratropical, Ike killed about 30 more. Those are all being counted as indirect since they aren't in the official NHC total.

Another 90 or so were killed in the Caribbean.

As for the Katrina numbers, they were never broken out because in many cases (especially in New Orleans) the cause of death could not be determined - they weren't found dead for weeks or months afterward, and while it is presumed that the majority of them drowned in the surge, it is probable that many died of natural causes/underlying medical conditions while waiting for help because of Katrina even though they survived the storm itself and its flooding. Also, the number may be incomplete as it is quite possible some people were swept away into the Gulf of Mexico and never accounted for. The 1,016 probably assumes that a little over half the deaths from Katrina were direct (other sources have used 1,500) but those are pure guesses.