Disaster-related mortality in Texas, May-June 2015

Background: From 5/4/2015-6/19/2015, Texas experienced heavy rainfall, flash flooding, Tropical Storm Bill, and numerous tornadoes. Each event created environmental conditions that put individuals in danger. Surveillance was conducted to identify deaths potentially related to these disasters in order to provide situational awareness to emergency management and public health officials.

Methods: We conducted active surveillance for disaster-related deaths that occurred from 5/4/2015-6/19/2015 using online media reports and death certificate data. Using data abstracted from both sources, we calculated descriptive statistics on demographics, circumstances of death, and likelihood of disaster-relatedness.

Results: A total of 62 deaths possibly-related to severe weather were identified via media reports and death certificates. The majority of decedents were males (N=38, 61.3%); the mean age was 46.5 years (range=3-87 years). External causes of death were predominantly drownings (N=46, 74.2%), many caused by driving or recreating in flooded areas. Other decedents were struck by tornadoes or involved in motor vehicle crashes caused by hazardous conditions. Fatalities occurred in 35 Texas counties; counties with the greatest numbers of decedents included Harris (N=8) and Hays (N=7). Deaths occurred between 5/7/2015-6/18/2015; over two-thirds (N=43, 69.4%) occurred during a nine day period (5/23/2015-5/31/2015).

Conclusions: Conducting mortality surveillance on disasters that impact a large geographic area over a lengthy period of time is challenging. Data collected highlight the need for strengthened messaging on flash flood and tornado preparedness. Advancements in disaster-related mortality surveillance are necessary to improve the timeliness and quality of death data.