Charley: Accuracy of Official Death Count

[SeaBrz_FL]

Does anyone locally in Port Charlotte County have more information about the official FL death count?

This may seem like a distasteful, gruesome topic compared to the basic survival mode many are going through right now. However, as my Central FL friends, family and neighbors slowly get back on their feet, there are frequent discussions about the official publicized statewide death count. I watch the live (military, FEMA, stae gov) briefings a couple times a day, and the reporters are asking the same question more often.

The nation heard early Saturday about law enforcement officers "standing guard over stacks of bodies", yet now (officially) the death count is only 19 STATEWIDE. Half of that count is from lesser-hit Central FL.

While our hearts go out to those that died and their families, and the survivors that are trying to make it from one hour to the next, it's confusing FL citizens (and probably many outside the state) with the conflicting reports of death counts.

I sincerely don't want to offend anyone, but there are people breathing a sigh of relief over this small fatality count, even if they haven't heard from their relatives, and it doesn't seem plausible to those that actually went through the storm.

Thanks for your feedback.

[SeaBrz_FL]

Here's some feedback from one of my co-workers in Central Florida (more to follow). I am not supporting their sources or logic, but thought you might be interested:

[From Orlando] My next door neighbor (one who "found" three of my 4 "lost" trees) retired last year from being an EMT in Miami. He still has all his buddies and contacts and has been keeping up with the rescue efforts. He worked during hurricane Andrew and came up here to avoid hurricanes...

Get this.... he said that they are told by superiors to NEVER divulge
what the true death toll is/was for a natural disaster.

It's bad for tourism.

I just read that the storm toll for Charley is 19, "officially". He
said his buddy embalmed over 70 in Punta Gorda alone over the weekend.

Hurricane Andrew:

Andrew was directly responsible for 26 deaths, but including indirect
loss of life the death toll was 65.

Glen (my neighbor) said he personally, stopped counting when he found 76 bodies during Andrew. And that was just one person.... multiply that
count by all the other rescue workers....

I don't know about the rest of you, but that really pisses me off.
Florida is worried about "tourism", so they don't report casualties
accurately??? What a crock!

It REALLY makes one wonder if much of ANYTHING we read or hear about it accurate (and I'm not referring to politics)!

[Brent]

It's 21 statewide now according to the media. I think the 60 body bags ordered Saturday were a "if needed" situation. I'm thinking the "stacks of bodies" was flat wrong. I don't know if someone made it up or if some media member saw something that looked like that. I seriously believe a lot of the missing were initially thought to be dead, but were instead out of state for whatever reason(a lot of people are snowbirds and live in Florida during the winter).

[SeaBrz_FL]

And from another trusted Orlando coworker:

I was wondering about this, too. I know that the day after the Hurricane on the National news (can't remember the station) they interviewed a Women from the Emergency room at one the the hospitals near Port Charlotte.

She mentioned on the air that they had received over 100 -150 people that were DOA. Then, I heard that the "official" count was 16. I thought it was weird, but figured I was really needing my hearing checked!!

Anyone know about this?
Just Curious.

[Matthew5]

I agree with you Seabrz, I can not believe my self the death toll. If you get any more information post it!


Ps I would not be suprized if they are hinding the death toll from us. But we have a right to know about it

[SeaBrz_FL]

I hate Net Rumors, and so very much hope that 21 is the end of the count on this storm, but many are questioning it so thought I'd bring it up here.

Thanks for providing such a comfortable, down-to-earth, friendly forum to bring this up. I'm ok, but many of my friends (new to FL) are still in shell shock.

[Aimless]

It seems to me, if "officials" ( whomever that might be....wanted to play down the death toll, they would be sticking with the numbers of people killed directly as a result of the storm instead of including those killed in car accidents, tree fallls, hot wires and corbon monoxide, etc...


Also, we are a nation of attention hounds where people jump up and down and wave behind the cameras even when reporters are in the midst of reporting horrible tragedies. I can't believe that 100s could be killed without stories of their deaths being repeated by family members and media.

It is amazing that the numbers are so low, but I just can't believe with the swarm of media around the truth wouldn't be quickly revealed.

[mf_dolphin]

I have to agree with you Aimless. With the endless media attention I think it would be hard to cover up the massive loss of life.

[SeaBrz_FL]

The numbers (included in the total) from Central Florida include those killed by electrocution from downed lines after the storm and wind-related auto accidents during the storm. Not sure if the carbon monoxide affix deaths from generators post-storm are included.

I KNOW this is a sensitive subject and we are all doing the best to pay tribute to those that lost their lives in this monster; I just pray that we are honoring all.

[Derecho]

The whole inability of the media to understand what "casualties" means (dead AND wounded, even those lightly injured) probably leads to many of the rumor problems. The media will often take casualties (a common term in the military, and among EMS types) and change it to dead.

And as I've seen the whole "60 bodybag" thing has led to an infinite variety of transmutations and rumor.

Regarding "stacks of bodies" how big is a stack? 3 people? Not like it's predefined.

[scogor]

Take this how you choose: one of the employees in our office lives near the affected areas in Charlotte County (her home was damaged by Charley) and has been on or near the "front lines" as a volunteer. She firmly believes that the death toll far exceeds 19 or 20 based upon the statements made by and conversations she has had with other survivors of the storm. No reason for her to misrepresent what she has heard or what she believes but again who knows? With all of the destruction in one of the mobile home parks I represent (of the 151 homes in the park, 22 were destroyed, most of the rest suffered substantial damage), none of the residents in the park (most of course were back at their homes up North for the summer) were injured. Just wanted to offer what I have been told by some of the storm's survivors.

[Derecho]

She firmly believes that the death toll far exceeds 19 or 20 based upon the statements made by and conversations she has had with other survivors of the storm. No reason for her to misrepresent what she has heard or what she believes but again who knows?

It would be a mistake to assume that the only way an inflated rumor could occur would be because of someone maliciously and deliberately lying...nothing could be further from the truth.

In any breaking story you can see the initial story turn out to be wildly different from reality; eyewitness reports are notoriously inaccurate, for example (frankly so inaccurate that it calls into question the high esteem eyewitnesses are given in legal cases, but that's another story.)

But it's not because people are crazy, stupid or deliberately lie; in any fluid, uncertain situation, everyone involved could be intending to tell the truth and be mentally competent and stable, and you can still can get really really wild rumors that have no basis in fact going.

[flyingphish]

Bottom Line..people did die. How many would make you comfortable and from what source? Cows died too..but there is no OFFICIAL AUDITED COUNT yet. Sorry for the heat but ..this topic seems ridiculous. Many people in SW Fl.(and many elderly in the worst hit area) have more problems getting a cold drink of water ..let alone..debating over death counts.

[Miss Mary]

Case in point - remember the initial fatality count for 9/11? It was close to 5,000 or 6,000. I'm always so glad when it's much lower in reality.

And you're right flyingphish, just getting water and necessities like that to those left homeless is more important right now.

Mary

[SeaBrz_FL]

The POINT, flyingphish et al, is that possibly in the next storm, a 75 year old snowbird with a cigar hanging out of his mouth is going to convince his wife to stay put in their coastal FL mobile home because, afterall, "only 10 died in all that devastation".

[Agua]

Well, I've seen first hand with Georges how the media can distort the level of damage to make it appear much more extensive than it actually was in fact.

However, unless there was complete evacuation in those areas shown on some of the video tape (look at the Mayfield chopper flyover), I find it hard to believe that only 21 people were lost in that storm.

[Brent]

Case in point - remember the initial fatality count for 9/11? It was close to 5,000 or 6,000. I'm always so glad when it's much lower in reality

They initially believed the toll was in the Tens of Thousands. We were so lucky it turned out to be so much lower.

[GalvestonDuck]

Get this.... he said that they are told by superiors to NEVER divulge
what the true death toll is/was for a natural disaster.

It's bad for tourism.

*snicker*

Anyone who thinks that obviously hasn't been to Galveston during Beach Party Weekend (over 200,000 party-goers invade the island), Mardi Gras (numbers range from 500,000 to 750,000 over the course of the 3 weeks of revelry [not to mention all us islanders joining in]), or the Lone Star Bike Rally (coming up 9/23, for the second time ever on the island), in addition to all the spring breakers, 3-day weekenders, winter Texans, and regular summertime beachgoers. And then, of course, there are those tourists who actually come to see the Storm tours, homes, seawall, and other 1900 stuff. Bad for tourism? Not.

And I'm sure Florida will still have its fair share of tourists.

But I think they should give the true death toll number. People need to know -- hurricanes are horribly dangerous and devastating.

[Anonymous]

Now 22 dead.