Surveillance of Deaths Attributed to a Nor'easter -- December 1992
During December 10-13, 1992, a severe weather system of snow,
sleet, rain, and high winds struck Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Virginia, and West Virginia. The highest recorded winds from this
winter storm, called a nor'easter, were 80 miles per hour (mph)
gusts at Cape May, New Jersey, with sustained winds of 20-30 mph.
The tidal surge was 1-4 feet above normal, and wave heights were
20-25 feet near the shore. The 24-hour snowfall was 27 inches in
the hills west of Boston. Flooding was recorded at 4-5 feet in both
Boston and New York City. In the Berkshire Mountains in western
Massachusetts, 4 feet of snow fell, with drifts as high as 10 feet.
This report summarizes findings of surveillance for deaths
associated with this storm and is based on information obtained
from medical examiner (ME) offices.
To assess mortality associated with this storm, during
December 10-13, CDC officials contacted ME offices in Connecticut,
Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island;
Suffolk, Westchester, and Nassau counties in New York; and New York
City (which includes Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, and Richmond
counties); and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. These offices
were asked to report, retrospectively, any deaths occurring in
their jurisdictions that they attributed to the storm. If deaths
occurred, the office was asked to report demographic information
about the decedent and the manner, cause, and circumstance of
death. These jurisdictions have a combined population of 35,877,048
(Bureau of the Census, 1990).
MEs in this region attributed three deaths on December 11 and
one on December 13 to the nor'easter. In Hudson County, New Jersey,
a 38-year-old woman died from multiple blunt force injuries; she
had been walking on a sidewalk when the roof of an apartment
building blew off during high winds and crushed her. In Westchester
County, New York, a 73-year-old man drowned on the premises of a
country club in Mamaroneck (northeast of New York City on Long
Island Sound) when, because of high winds, he lost his grip while
holding on to a tree to escape rising flood waters. In Connecticut,
a 40-year-old man drowned in the incoming tide. On December 13, a
young female died in Rhode Island as a result of a snow storm;
because death investigation records are not public in Rhode Island,
additional details about this death are unavailable.
A possible storm-related death, reported by the Connecticut
ME's office, is pending further investigation. No information was
available from the Massachusetts ME's office.
Reported by: Offices of the medical examiner in Connecticut,
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Rhode Island; Suffolk,
Westchester, and Nassau counties and New York City, New York; and
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Northeast Regional Climate
Center, Ithaca, New York. Surveillance and Programs Br, Div of
Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for
Environmental Health, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: Surveillance efforts using information from ME and
coroner (ME/C) offices have provided timely information about
deaths associated with natural disasters (1-6). Although the
findings of mortality surveillance suggest that the public health
impact of this storm was minimal, the media reported considerably
more deaths than did the MEs. The discrepancy may be due, in part,
to the lack of a widely accepted definition of weather-related
deaths. Some ME/Cs define weather-related deaths as those resulting
from environmental forces such as wind and rising water. However,
other ME/Cs include deaths from circumstances such as motor-vehicle
collisions and stress-induced cardiovascular events in their
definition of weather-related deaths.
A standard definition for weather-related morbidity and
mortality should assist health officials in assessing the public
health impact associated with severe weather systems and other
natural disasters. CDC is developing a definition for deaths
related to natural disasters. Until this definition is available,
CDC recommends that reports of disaster-related deaths either
include selection criteria for disaster-related injuries and
fatalities or cite the source of the case reports.
References
CDC. Preliminary report: medical examiner reports of deaths
associated with Hurricane Andrew -- Florida, August 1992. MMWR
1992;41:641-4.
Philen RM, Combs DL, Miller L, et al. Hurricane Hugo-related
deaths: South Carolina and Puerto Rico, 1989. Disasters 1992;16:53-
CDC. Medical examiner/coroner reports of deaths associated with
Hurricane Hugo -- South Carolina. MMWR 1989;38:754,759-62.
CDC. Deaths associated with Hurricane Hugo -- Puerto Rico. MMWR
1989;38:680-2.
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