Reuters. It was upgraded to a hurricane on Oct. 24 when its maximum sustained winds reached 74 mph (119 kph). The third most common death from Sandy occurred when mostly senior citizens fell from the top of stairs due to no power and having very little light to navigate in their homes. Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. Sandy damaged or destroyed at least 650,000 houses and left approximately 8.5 million customers without power during the storm and its aftermath. This mindset is dangerous and probably caused some deaths. of pages found at these sites. CDC is not responsible for the content Available at, Farag NH, Rey A, Noe R, Bayleyegn T, Wood AD, Zane D. Evaluation of the American Red Cross disaster-related mortality surveillance system using Hurricane Ike data—Texas 2008. American Red Cross Disaster Health Svcs staff and volunteers deployed for Sandy. the date of publication. Of the 117 deaths, 67 (57.3%) were classified as directly related deaths, and 38 (32.5%) were indirectly related to the storm. A total of 117 deaths related to Hurricane Sandy were reported via the American Red Cross mortality tracking system. Since a large majority of the deaths were of people ages 65 and older, it makes you wonder if these people had a way to evacuate. These questions are important, if we’re to improve prevent such a large loss of life during future storms. The National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Cyclone Report estimated the death count from Hurricane Sandy at 147 direct deaths. In this post, I group the Times’ information differently, to find out which age groups were affected the most and look into the causes of the death toll. Bar graph that shows the casualties via age groups. Available at, Federal Emergency Management Agency. Haiti was the second-most affected country with 54 deaths. The majority of drowning deaths (29 [72.5%]) also occurred in the initial phase of the storm, during October 29–31. The most deaths – 49 – were associated with ages 65 and older. By October 31, the region had 6–12 inches (15–30 cm) of precipitation, 7–8 million customers without power, approximately 20,000 persons in shelters, and news reports of numerous fatalities (Robert Neurath, CDC, personal communication, 2013). After looking at the reasons for deaths caused by Hurricane Sandy, I decided to create five age groups to see which age group was most affected. All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from typeset documents. You can read a full account of what occurred via Mike Smith’s blog. In the weather forecasting community, when we have plenty of time to issue appropriate watches and warnings, then we pray and hope that people take the storm seriously and that the casualty rate will be zero. Tragically, there were 159 hurricane-related deaths. Drowning is a preventable cause of hurricane-related death. Most deaths occurred in New York (53 [45.3%]) and New Jersey (34 [29.1%]); the other deaths occurred in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Maryland. By Ben Hallman. In the United States, at least 117 people in six states died as a direct or indirect result of Hurricane Sandy, according to a Centers for Disease Control and … The great advances in weather modeling are what let meteorologists release and issue watches and warnings in advance of a dangerous storm. Their ages and … and/or the original MMWR paper copy for printable versions of official text, figures, and tables. Ragan P, Schulte J, Nelson SJ, Jones KT. The majority of drowning deaths (32 [80.0%]) occurred in New York, whereas deaths in New York accounted for only 27.3% of nondrowning deaths. At … **Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to FIGURE 1. Twenty decedents drowned in flooded homes in New York, and home addresses for 18 (90.0%) of them were located in Evacuation Zone A (Figure 2); the other two decedents' homes were in or near areas of flooding and near Evacuation Zone A. Advances in hurricane warning and evacuation systems have helped to reduce drowning deaths. Media sources have reported 131 fatalities in the United States from the storm (9); Sandy mortality statistics, including death certificates, are pending official release. The direct and indirect impacts of the storm led to challenging, and sometimes deadly, conditions for residents, including prolonged power outages, storm surges, and disrupted services. However, drowning continues to be an important cause of death, and was the leading cause for Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Sandy (8). The findings in this report are subject to at least two limitations. The location of drowning deaths by state was significantly different (p<0.05) compared with all Sandy-related deaths. The storm inflicted nearly $70 billion (2012 USD) in damage and killed 233 people across eight countries from the Caribbean to Canada. Twenty decedents drowned in flooded homes in New York, and home addresses for 18 (90.0%) of them were located in Evacuation Zone A. Mortality forms included the decedent's age, sex, race (white, black, Asian, other, or unknown), and date and location of death. What are the implications for public health practice? Alternate Text: The figure shows the number of reported deaths related to Hurricane Sandy (direct, indirect, and unknown/possibly), by date, in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, during October 28-November 30, 2012. Ninety percent of direct deaths were caused by drowning; most (73%) occurred within 3 days of landfall. The storm killed 43 people in the city; 23 of those deaths occurred on Staten Island. mmwrq@cdc.gov. The deadly tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011, for example, was a great forecast that offered plenty of warning time for the public about the huge threat for large, violent tornadoes. Corresponding contributor: Michelle Murti, mmurti@cdc.gov, 770-488-3418. Hurricane Sandy's Staten Island victims: 24 lives lost forever. Ten people died on the east-central coast of the island. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2012; December 7 [Epub ahead of print], Federal Emergency Management Agency. Comparing the 40 drowning deaths to all Sandy-related deaths, the age, sex, and race distributions of decedents were similar (Table). provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply If we warn too loudly about storms that turn out to be no real threat, people stop listening. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2008;29:148–53. Bottom line: Most deaths from Hurricane Sandy – 49 deaths – occurred among people older than age 65. Nine deaths occurred due to carbon monoxide poisoning, after people left their generators running indoors. The deaths occurred during October 28–November 29, 2012 (Figure 1). Hurricane Sandy killed 106 people in the United States alone. Personally, I felt that some members of the public along the New Jersey and New York coasts underestimated the seriousness of Sandy. Most (77%) deaths were caused by injuries directly related to Hurricane Sandy. 2  Sandy caused more damage than a typical tropical storm. How can we make the watch/warning system better to avoid casualties from major storms like Sandy? Users are referred to the electronic PDF version (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr) Tracking deaths related to Hurricane Ike, Texas, 2008. When we visited the Staten Island neighborhood of Midland Beach just three days after Hurricane Sandy … Emergency plans should ensure that persons receive and comprehend evacuation messages and have the necessary resources to comply with them. Protecting People.™, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203880704578084701930663668.html, http://fema.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=307dd522499d4a44a33d7296a5da5ea0, http://www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-timeline, http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/WWW000/nhurr00.html#imp2, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/16/us-storm-sandy-deaths-idusbre8af0zx20121116, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Saul MH. High winds and flooding caused dozens of deaths and massive damage to homes, businesses, power systems, transportation systems, and other property in many states, especially New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. The reported death toll from hurricane Sandy's flooding and high winds has now reached above 120. A successful evacuation depends on officials providing timely messaging to all affected persons, on persons receiving those messages, and on persons having the capacity, resources, and willingness to evacuate. But if we don’t warn loudly enough for a truly dangerous storm, people may be injured or even killed. After drowning, 20 deaths were blamed on falling trees, which mainly occurred inland. Deaths without direct or indirect classification were reported as unknown or possibly related deaths. A large majority of the deaths occurred from senior citizens (49 deaths). A total of 117 deaths related to Hurricane Sandy were reported via the American Red Cross mortality tracking system. FEMA MOTF-Hurricane Sandy impact analysis. More than half (52.5%) of the drowning deaths occurred in the decedent’s home; the majority of these Drowning deaths attributed to Hurricane Sandy that occurred in the decedent's home (n = 20), in New York state, in relation to the Federal Emergency Management Agency storm surge area and New York City's Evacuation Zone A — October 28–November 30, 2012. Some patterns emerged in mapping the … Volunteers then obtain information about these deaths from sources including the medical examiner/coroner, physician, fire department/police, and family of the decedent (2). Again speaking personally, I think the term “hurricane warning” strikes more fear among people than “high wind warning.” People know what a hurricane can do to a region. Decedents ranged in age from 1 to 94 years (mean: 60 years, median: 65 years); 60.7% were male, and 53.8% were white. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. Tropical Storm Sandy was the 18th named storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail. Could watches and warnings for Sandy have been more effective? Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. The characteristics of drowning deaths were compared with all deaths using chi-square tests of trend and t-tests. FIGURE 2. If you live in a flood prone area, you should evacuate. By Staten Island Advance i>>? Of the directly related deaths, the most common mechanism was drowning (40 [59.7%]), followed by trauma from being crushed, cut, or struck (19 [28.4%]). Over 70 deaths were caused by Sandy in the Caribbean and recent reports bring the total to greater than 50 in the United States. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of Always go to a higher floor and stay in the centralized area of your house, preferably in a bathroom. Dana Flanders, PhD, Emory Univ, Atlanta, GA. Barry Flanagan, PhD, Elaine Hallisey, MA, Div of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Facebook Share. Drowning was the leading cause, accounting for approximately one third of the deaths. For Hurricane Sandy, unfortunately, the casualty rate was not zero. Overall, this is a very horrible situation that I wish never happened. For six deaths, circumstances of the drowning were not available. Twitter Share. The New York Times published an informative representation of Sandy’s death toll on November 17, 2012, which includes info on how each victim died. President Obama has called the storm "heartbreaking for the nation". For Hurricane Sandy, unfortunately, the casualty rate was not zero. Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Jersey coast after Sandy struck the shore. Hurricane-related drowning deaths in evacuation zones are preventable. And I read quite a few entries on the New York Times post of people who drowned in their basements. Without any light, 12 people succumbed to injuries from nasty falls. Health Aff (Millwood) 2006;25:958–67. Most were over the age of 65. The storm resulted in the deaths of 44 City residents and inflicted an estimated $19 billion in damages and lost economic activity across the New York City. The penetration of evacuation messages to decedents or their communities was not assessed in this report, but future research should evaluate the effectiveness of the hurricane evacuation orders. If you are unsure how deep the water is, then you should turn around and avoid the risk of getting stuck and possibly drowning in your car. The eighteenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the year, Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak intensity when it made landfall in Cuba. The majority of drowning deaths (32 [80.0%]) occurred in New York, whereas deaths in New York accounted for only 27.3% of nondrowning deaths. Nationwide, the death toll from Hurricane Sandy has surpassed 55. Linda Quan, MD, Univ of Washington School of Medicine and American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. * Sandy evolved from a Category 3 hurricane in the Caribbean to an intense post-tropical cyclone before landfall in the United States. In New York, the death … Damage at Union Beach in New Jersey from Sandy. Injury deaths related to Hurricane Sandy were classified by using data from multiple sources: NYC’s Office of Vital Statistics death records, Office of Chief Medical Examiner case investigation files, and American Red Cross disaster mortality data. Department of Health and Human Services. Red Cross volunteers search for reports of disaster-related deaths from sources such as funeral home directors, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), hospitals, and news reports. Hurricane Sandy: 5 weather-related deaths in Pa. from storm Associated Press Oct 30, 2012 Oct 30, 2012; Return to homepage × You have run out of free articles. Home addresses of decedents whose drowning death occurred in the home were examined with respect to FEMA's hurricane storm surge area (field-verified as of November 11, 2012 [3]) and known, geographically defined areas under evacuation order (i.e., New York City's Evacuation Zone A) (1). Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2008;2:215–23. Had actual hurricane warnings been issued, could we have lowered the death toll? Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was the deadliest, the most destructive, and the strongest hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Number of reported deaths related to Hurricane Sandy (direct, indirect, and unknown/possibly), by date — Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, October 28–November 30, 2012*. Despite advances in hurricane warning and evacuation systems, drowning remains one of the leading causes of hurricane-related deaths. Zane DF, Bayleyegn TM, Hellsten J, et al. Did they have family and friends who could have helped them evacuate? Brunkard J, Namulanda G, Ratard R. Hurricane Katrina deaths, Louisiana, 2005. Approximately half of the deaths (60 [51.3%]) occurred on the first 2 days of the storm's landfall, with a peak of 37 deaths on October 30, 2012. Reuters; 2012. A total of 117 deaths were reported on Red Cross mortality forms. Since that time, hurricanes have had other leading causes of death, such as trauma for the Florida hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, and carbon monoxide poisoning for Hurricane Ike in 2008 (6,7). A total of 117 deaths related to Hurricane Sandy were reported via the American Red Cross mortality tracking system. Most deaths occurred in New York (53 [45.3%]) and New Jersey (34 [29.1%]); the other deaths occurred in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Maryland. Contact GPO for current prices. Additionally, New York City's Evacuation Zones provided the only geographic data available for identifying areas of evacuation; however, 95% of all drowning deaths at home were in or near these areas. Notes written by Red Cross volunteers on these 20 deaths captured decedents' reasons for not evacuating, such as "afraid of looters," "thought Hurricane Irene was mild," and "unable to leave because did not have transportation.". Parts of New York City evacuated for Hurricane Sandy. In fact, 49 deaths were due to drowning in homes and cars. Wall Street Journal; 2012. Image Credit: Shayna Marie Meyer. TABLE. Ellen E. Yard, PhD, Amy F. Wolkin, MSPH, Rebecca S. Noe, MPH, Div of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health; Michelle Murti, MD, EIS Officer, CDC. After Sandy dissipated, the National Weather Service’s “Service Assessment” should have met to create an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the warning system and response for this storm. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Directly related deaths are deaths caused by the environmental force of the disaster (e.g., wind or flood) or by the direct consequences of these forces (e.g., structural collapse). The National Hurricane Center said at least 87 deaths were directly or indirectly caused by Hurricane Sandy, while the CDC, using Red Cross data, tallied 117 deaths tied to the storm. Prayers go out to all of the victims and families that were affected by this disastrous and deadly storm. Most significantly, over 69,000 residential units were damaged, and thousands of New Yorkers were temporarily displaced. Washington, DC: US Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency; 2012. Overall, a large majority of the deaths occurred over the age of 50 across the U.S. Northeast. Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the United States the evening of October 29 near Atlantic City, New Jersey. There were reports of trees falling into homes, cars, and even during the clean-up efforts after Sandy dissipated. Sandy's tropical storm winds stretched over 900 miles (1,440 km), causing storm surges and destruction over a larger area than that affected by hurricanes with more intensity but narrower paths. Most deaths were from drowning. Updated Jan 03, 2019; Posted Nov 01, 2012 . Half (50%) of the 12 indirect deaths that occurred up to 30 days after the storm were caused by a fall. Did the general public know what a high wind warning is? Death counts in the U.S. totaled 72. It’s been nearly six years since Hurricane Sandy descended on the New York borough of Staten Island. (June 2019) The effects of Hurricane Sandy in New England in late October 2012 spread as far north as Maine (though by far the most significant damage in the region was in Connecticut ), and included hurricane-force wind gusts. Homes in Seaside Heights, New Jersey sit in ruins on the Atlantic Ocean waterfront after being destroyed by Hurricane Sandy on October 31, 2012. The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has left at least 55 people dead across the US. Washington, DC: US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; 2000. Most directly related deaths occurred during the first few days of the storm, whereas indirectly related deaths continued from the day before the storm into the middle of November. Finally, it’s frustrating and disheartening to realize that some of these deaths could have been prevented. Hurricane Sandy: timeline; 2012. This house was destroyed in Jersey Shore, New Jersey. Twenty-one (52.5%) drowning deaths occurred in the decedent's home, and 11 (27.5%) occurred outside; one person drowned in a flooded commercial building lobby, and another person drowned while intentionally swimming off a storm-affected beach. October 25, 2012 - Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in southeastern Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane … Midland Beach Has Highest Concentration Of Sandy-Related Deaths In US. Image Credit: Devin Matthew Toperek. Available at. Health and Human Services. Drowning was the leading cause, accounting for approximately one third of the deaths. Poisoning was the most common indirectly related cause of death; of the 10 poisonings, nine were caused by carbon monoxide. Drowning was the number cause of death from Hurricane Sandy. This report describes the results of that analysis, which found drowning was the most common cause of death related to Sandy, and 45% of drowning deaths occurred in flooded homes in Evacuation Zone A. Drowning is a leading cause of hurricane death but is preventable with advance warning systems and evacuation plans. First, the number of deaths reported is limited to those captured through Red Cross mortality tracking, which is only activated in areas with a Red Cross Disaster Relief Operation. For hours, giant waves crashed against Rockaway Beach, making a tremendous roar that could be heard up and down the 11-mile peninsula. After Death In Rockaways During Hurricane Sandy, A Question: Why Stay? The local National Weather Service offices issued various watches and warnings such as “high wind warnings” and “flood warnings” for specific areas. Indirectly related deaths are defined as deaths occurring in a situation in which the disaster led to unsafe conditions (e.g., hazardous roads) or caused a loss or disruption of usual services that contributed to the death (e.g., loss of electrical services) (2). While it was a Category 2hurricane off the coas… Mortality surveillance: 2004 to 2005 Florida hurricane-related deaths. To characterize deaths related to Sandy, CDC analyzed data on 117 hurricane-related deaths captured by American Red Cross (Red Cross) mortality tracking during October 28–November 30, 2012. The challenge of mandatory evacuation: providing for and deciding for. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Of course, the best way to escape a hurricane is to simply evacuate and move inland. Hurricanes and tropical meteorology. I used 18 years of age and younger, ages 18-24, ages 25-44, ages 45-64, and ages 65 and older. Their story… | Donate to Jessie’s fa… For more information about this message, please visit this page: CDC 24/7: Saving Lives. Hurricane Sandy claimed the lives of 40 New Jersey residents from 13 different counties. How do I view different file formats (PDF, DOC, PPT, MPEG) on this site? Would people have taken Sandy more seriously? Disaster-related deaths were categorized as direct or indirect. On Staten Island, Haunting Memories of Those Killed by Hurricane Sandy Beatrice Spagnuolo, 79, a widow and mother of six, lived on Grimsby … Hurricane Sandy death toll on Staten Island climbs to 14. Over the years, some Staten Islanders have rebuilt their homes and reinvested in … The effects of Sandy extended as far west as Wisconsin. A self-described "big weather and music geek," Matt has a passion for helping to keep people safe when severe weather strikes and says if you don't have a NOAA Weather Radio ... you should get one. Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. Available at. Some resided in big cities, others in suburban towns or rural hamlets. Washington, DC: US Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency; 2012. Nearly two-thirds (63%) were injured at home. The “other” deaths that are included in the graph above resulted from electrocution, debris crashing into people in the basements and in cars, and others not receiving medical aid fast enough to prevent loss of blood or oxygen. Hurricane Sandy, also, was a forecasting success by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model (ECMWF), as it showed Sandy pushing into the U.S. Northeast seven to 10 days in advance of the storm. Daily counts of direct, indirect, and unknown/possibly related deaths were calculated based on the dates of each death. Red Cross tracks deaths during disasters to provide services to surviving family members, including crisis counseling, assistance with disaster-related expenses, locating emergency housing, identifying recovery resources, and addressing disaster-related health needs. If you are driving your car into a flooded area, you need to remember this phrase: Turn around, don’t drown. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; Over 23,000 people had to move to shelters. In an evaluation of Red Cross mortality tracking versus Texas' active disaster-related mortality surveillance during Hurricane Ike, Red Cross had a sensitivity of 47% (Red Cross cases compared with Texas cases) and positive predictive value of 92% (Red Cross Ike cases compared with all Red Cross cases); thus, the cases presented in this report are likely to be actual cases but are unlikely to include all Sandy-related deaths (2). While still out to sea, Sandy was a Category 3 storm. Did some define it as it being just another a windy day? The dog lived. In the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy was responsible for approximately 54 deaths in Haiti, 11 deaths in Cuba, 3 deaths in the Dominican Republic, 2 deaths in The Bahamas and 1 death each in Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Another 69 were killed by the storm in the Caribbean. Given the inability and unwillingness of some residents to evacuate, additional research is needed to identify barriers and motivators for persons during an evacuation and the effectiveness of interventions designed to assist these persons. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2011;5:23–8. Drowning was the leading cause, accounting for approximately one third of the deaths. You can read a full account of what occurred via Mike Smith’s blog that explains the questions regarding why the assessment was randomly canceled. An example would be the nine deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. Hurricane Sandy took over 100 lives in the United States. References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are Second, the specific location of death was only available for decedents who died at home, limiting other geographic comparisons. Mary Casey-Lockyer, MHS, Rebecca J. Heick, PhD, American Red Cross. On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy* hit the northeastern U.S. coastline. If you cannot evacuate, you need to move into the center of your house (preferably a bathroom) and avoid the basement at all costs. Matt Daniel is Meteorologist for WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama. 1  About 8.5 million customers lost power. Flooding and storm surge kill more people than winds during a hurricane, and going to the lowest floor possible only works when a tornado is approaching your home. What can we do to prevent 106 deaths the next time a big storm threatens the U.S. Northeast or anywhere else? I repeat, never go to the lowest floor of your house in a flood prone area near the coast when a hurricane is making landfall. In the case of Sandy, however, this assessment was terminated for unknown reasons. The most common way to die was by drowning in homes and cars. Out of the 106 deaths in the United States, the majority of the deaths occurred due to drowning. The number of deaths from Hurricane Sandy, such as drowning in storm surges or flooding, is counted at 147, according to the National Hurricane Center. Factbox: storm Sandy blamed for at least 132 deaths in U.S., Canada; 2012. Image crdit: NOAA. There were six deaths in the 25-44 age group – five deaths in the 18 and younger age group – and nine deaths in the 18-24 age group. Available at, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Characteristics of reported deaths related to Hurricane Sandy for all deaths and drowning deaths — Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, October 28–November 30, 2012. Alternate Text: The figure above shows drowning deaths attributed to Hurricane Sandy that occurred in the decedent's home (n = 20), in New York state, in relation to the Federal Emergency Management Agency storm surge area and New York City's Evacuation Zone A, during October 28-November 30, 2012. The massive storm that started out as Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast and morphed into a huge and problematic system, killing at least 74 people in the United States. Before the 1970s, drowning from wind-driven storm surges was by far the most common cause of hurricane-related death (5). Mapping Hurricane Sandy’s Deadly Toll At last count, officials were attributing more than 100 deaths to Hurricane Sandy. Jessie Streich-Kest, 24 and Jacob Vogelman, 24 Monday, October 29, 2012 Ditmas Park, Brooklyn The childhood friends were walking their dog in Ditmas Park when they were crushed by a falling tree. Hurricane Sandy spun away from the Bahamas late Friday after causing 43 deaths across the Caribbean, churning northward toward the U.S. East Coast, where it … * Excludes deaths with an unknown date of death (n = 12). Hurricane response plans should ensure that persons receive and comprehend evacuation messages and have the necessary resources to comply with them. Fairchild AL, Colgrove J, Jones MM. Second-largest death toll – 34 deaths – occurred in the 45-64 age group. More than half (52.5%) of the drowning deaths occurred in the decedent's home; the majority of these homes were located in New York City's Evacuation Zone A. Deaths included in this analysis were any Sandy-related death recorded on a Red Cross mortality form with a date of death up to November 30, 2012. The storm surge also destroyed neighborhoods across the island. This conversion might result in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Hurricane Sandy killed 106 people in the United States alone. More than half (51.3%) of deaths from Sandy occurred within the first 2 days of the storm, and the most common cause of death was drowning. Caitlin E. Mertzlufft, MPH, Div of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Don ’ t discovered until the following morning 650,000 houses and left approximately million. 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