DEATHS RELATED TO HURRICANE-ANDREW IN FLORIDA AND LOUISIANA, 1992

Background. information about circumstances leading to disaster-relate d deaths helps emergency response coordinators and other public health officials respond to the needs of disaster victims and develop polici es for reducing the mortality and morbidity of future disasters. in th is paper, we describe the decedent population, circumstances of death, and population-based mortality rates related to Hurricane Andrew, and propose recommendations for evaluating and reducing the public health impact of natural disasters. Methods. To ascertain the number and cir cumstances of deaths attributed to Hurricane Andrew in Florida and Lou isiana, we contacted medical examiners in 11 Florida counties and coro ners in 36 Louisiana parishes. Results. In Florida medical examiners a ttributed 44 deaths to the hurricane. The mortality rate for directly- related deaths was 4.4 per 1 000 000 population and that for indirectl y-related deaths was 9.5 per 1 000 000 population. In Louisiana, coron ers attributed 11 resident deaths to the hurricane. Mortality rates we re 0.6 per 1 000 000 population for deaths directly related to the sto rm and 2.8 for deaths indirectly related to the storm, Six additional deaths occurred among nonresidents who drowned in international waters in the Gulf of Mexico. In both Florida and Louisiana, mortality rates generally increased with age and were higher among whites and males. Conclusions, In addition to encouraging people to follow existing reco mmendations, we recommend emphasizing safe driving practices during ev acuation and clean-up, equipping shelters with basic medical needs for the population served, and modifying zoning and housing legislation. We also recommend developing and using a standard definition for disas ter-related deaths, and using population-based statistics to describe the public health effectiveness of policies intended to reduce disaste r-related mortality.