Study Reveals Hurricane Deaths Underestimated: Disproportionately Impacting Poor and Minorities, US

Hurricanes in the United States have been responsible for far more deaths than previously reported, with a higher proportion of victims being poor, vulnerable, and minorities, according to a new study. Epidemiologists and storm experts found that between 1988 and 2019, over 18,000 people likely lost their lives due to hurricanes and tropical cyclones in the continental US—thirteen times higher than the figures provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The researchers used a standard public health technique to attribute the excess deaths to the storms. While the NOAA primarily counts people who died directly from the storms, this study also considered the overall increase in deaths in storm-hit counties just before, during, and after the hurricanes. The authors found that mortality rates spike after a storm due to heart and lung problems, infections, injuries, and mental health issues. The study highlights the undercounting of deaths by meteorologists, who primarily focus on deaths during the height of the storm and fail to capture the indirect deaths that occur afterwards, disproportionately affecting the poorest and most vulnerable Americans. The findings underscore the need to address the impact of hurricanes on marginalized communities and ensure their inclusion in disaster preparedness efforts.