Hurricane Katrina deaths, Louisiana, 2005
- PMID: 18756175
- DOI: 10.1097/DMP.0b013e31818aaf55
Hurricane Katrina deaths, Louisiana, 2005
Abstract
Objective: Hurricane Katrina struck the US Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, causing unprecedented damage to numerous communities in Louisiana and Mississippi. Our objectives were to verify, document, and characterize Katrina-related mortality in Louisiana and help identify strategies to reduce mortality in future disasters.
Methods: We assessed Hurricane Katrina mortality data sources received in 2007, including Louisiana and out-of-state death certificates for deaths occurring from August 27 to October 31, 2005, and the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team's confirmed victims' database. We calculated age-, race-, and sex-specific mortality rates for Orleans, St Bernard, and Jefferson Parishes, where 95% of Katrina victims resided and conducted stratified analyses by parish of residence to compare differences between observed proportions of victim demographic characteristics and expected values based on 2000 US Census data, using Pearson chi square and Fisher exact tests.
Results: We identified 971 Katrina-related deaths in Louisiana and 15 deaths among Katrina evacuees in other states. Drowning (40%), injury and trauma (25%), and heart conditions (11%) were the major causes of death among Louisiana victims. Forty-nine percent of victims were people 75 years old and older. Fifty-three percent of victims were men; 51% were black; and 42% were white. In Orleans Parish, the mortality rate among blacks was 1.7 to 4 times higher than that among whites for all people 18 years old and older. People 75 years old and older were significantly more likely to be storm victims (P < .0001).
Conclusions: Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest hurricane to strike the US Gulf Coast since 1928. Drowning was the major cause of death and people 75 years old and older were the most affected population cohort. Future disaster preparedness efforts must focus on evacuating and caring for vulnerable populations, including those in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and personal residences. Improving mortality reporting timeliness will enable response teams to provide appropriate interventions to these populations and to prepare and implement preventive measures before the next disaster.
Comment in
-
Measuring the true human cost of natural disasters.Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2008 Dec;2(4):208-10. doi: 10.1097/DMP.0b013e31818adaa2. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2008. PMID: 18756174 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
The effect of Hurricane Katrina: births in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, before and after the storm.Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2009 Aug 28;58(2):1-28, 32. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2009. PMID: 19754006
-
Disaster preparedness of dialysis patients for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike 2008.Adv Perit Dial. 2009;25:62-7. Adv Perit Dial. 2009. PMID: 19886319
-
Changes needed in the care for sheltered persons: a multistate analysis from Hurricane Katrina.Am J Disaster Med. 2009 Mar-Apr;4(2):101-6. Am J Disaster Med. 2009. PMID: 19522127
-
Mass medical evacuation: Hurricane Katrina and nursing experiences at the New Orleans airport.Disaster Manag Response. 2007 Apr-Jun;5(2):56-61. doi: 10.1016/j.dmr.2007.03.001. Disaster Manag Response. 2007. PMID: 17517364 Review.
-
Hurricane Katrina and perinatal health.Birth. 2009 Dec;36(4):325-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-536X.2009.00360.x. Birth. 2009. PMID: 20002425 Review.
Cited by
-
Demographics and risk of isolation due to sea level rise in the United States.Nat Commun. 2023 Nov 30;14(1):7904. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43835-6. Nat Commun. 2023. PMID: 38036553 Free PMC article.
-
Impacts of household vulnerability on hurricane logistics evacuation under COVID-19: The case of U.S. Hampton Roads.Transp Res E Logist Transp Rev. 2023 Aug;176:103179. doi: 10.1016/j.tre.2023.103179. Epub 2023 Jun 1. Transp Res E Logist Transp Rev. 2023. PMID: 37325801 Free PMC article.
-
Without Affordable, Accessible, and Adequate Housing, Health Has No Foundation.Milbank Q. 2023 Apr;101(S1):419-443. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.12626. Milbank Q. 2023. PMID: 37096623 Free PMC article.
-
Climate Change and Cardiovascular Health.J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 Dec 20;11(24):e027847. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.027847. Epub 2022 Dec 19. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022. PMID: 36533640 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
-
Integrating multiple information sources for landslide hazard assessment: the case of Italy.Sci Rep. 2022 Dec 1;12(1):20724. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-23577-z. Sci Rep. 2022. PMID: 36456578 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical