1992 — Aug 24, 26, Hurricane Andrew, FL and LA, esp. SE Dade County, FL –106-107
International ( 4)
— 4 Bahamas. Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew, 16-28 August, 1992. 12-10-1993.
United States (106-107)
–106-107 Blanchard tally based on aggregated State and local breakouts below.[1]
— 65 Rappaport. Preliminary Report: Hurricane Andrew, 16-28 Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.[2]
–26 (direct) –39 (indirect).
— 61 Townsend. “Table 1.2. Worst Natural Disasters in the United States, 1900-2005.”
— 58 National Climatic Data Center. “Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters 1980-1994.”
— 23 Gunn. “Hurricane Andrew,” Chapter 167, in Encyclopedia of Disasters. 2007, p. 620.
— 23 NOAA. “NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water…Climate Events of the 20th Century.”
Florida (89-90)
–89-90 Blanchard tally based on aggregated county breakouts below, plus one missing.[3]
— 71 Lew and Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” May 1996, p. 449.[4]
–15 Accidental (direct). Lew and Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” May 1996
–15 Natural Causes (indirect). Lew / Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” 1996.
–32 Accidental (indirect, next 6 months). Lew/Wetli. “Mortality from…Andrew.” 1996.
— 4 Homicides. Lew and Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” May 1996, 449.
— 5 Suicides. Lew and Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” May 1996, 449.[5]
–42-46 Combs, et al. “Assessing disaster-attributed mortality… IJE, 1999, p. 1128.[6]
— 44 Rappaport. Preliminary Report: Hurricane Andrew, 16-28 Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.[7]
–15 (direct) –29 (indirect)
— 43 Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998, 284.
–15 (direct) –28 (indirect)
— >40 FEMA. Andrew, Iniki, Omar: FEMA Evaluation of Federal Response… 1993, p. 7.
— 32 CDC. “Preliminary Report: Medical Examiner Reports of Deaths…” 9-4-1992.[8]
— 15 Direct. NWS. Hurricane Andrew: South Florida and [LA], Aug 23-26, 1992. 1993, B1.
By Counties:
— 3 Broward Co. (indirect). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…1992. 12-10-1993.
— >85 Dade Co. AP News Archives. “Newspaper…Andrew’s Death Toll…” 1-31-1993.[9]
— 83 Dade Co. Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew, 16-28 Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.[10]
— 40 Dade County. Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew, 16-28 Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.
–15 (direct) –25 (indirect)
–32-33 Dade County. CDC. “Preliminary Report: Medical Examiner Reports of…” 9-4-1992.
–14 Accidental (direct). CDC. “Preliminary Report: Medical Examiner…” 9-4-1992.
–4 Asphyxia following building collapse. CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
–1 Drowning. CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
–9 Trauma. CDC. “Preliminary Report: Medical Examiner Reports…” 9-4-1992.
–11 Natural Causes (indirect). CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
–8 Cardiovascular, stress-induced. CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
–1 Intracerebral hemorrhage. CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
–2 Organic brain syndrome associated. CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
— 5 Accidental (indirect). CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
–3 Blunt trauma associated with clean-up or falls from damaged buildings. CDC
–2 Fires in houses, children. CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
— 2 Pending investigation (indirect). CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
— 1 Missing, presumed dead. Washed overboard from boat. CDC. MMWR. 9-4-1992.
— 30 Dade County (initially). Lew and Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” May 1996
–15 Accidental (direct). Lew and Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” 1996, 449.
–8 Blunt Force Trauma on Land
–Struck by falling roof beam, female, 12.[11]
–Collapsing roof, male, 25.[12]
–Ejected from turning trailer, male, 74.
–Ejected from turning trailer, male, 49.
–Collapsing home, male, 46.
–Collapsing barn (debris), male, 49.
–Collapsing townhouse, female, 68.[13]
–Collapsing roof, male, 54.
–4 Mechanical Asphyxia
–Pinned by tree inside truck/camper, male, 47.[14]
–Found in destroyed mobile home, male, 62.
–Collapsed ceiling of retirement home, male, 67.
–Destroyed trailer, female, 80.[15]
–3 On Water
–Struck by flying debris and knocked overboard, male, 37.
–Found in canal after trying to secure boat, male, 32.
–Washed overboard – body not recovered, male, 56.
–15 Natural (indirect). Lew / Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” 1996, 450.[16]
–3 During the storm.
–Acute MI [myocardial infarction] during evacuation, female, 81.
–Found in dining room after apparently fleeing bathroom, female, 63.
–Intracerebral hemorrhage/pregnancy associated eclampsia, female, 22.
–12 Two-week period following the storm.
–Chest pains while sealing a window, male, 67.
–Trimming trees, male, 73.
–Collapsed upon seeing damage to business, male, 51.
–Collapsed getting plywood, male, 76.
–During evacuation from damaged home, male, 72.
–During evacuation from damaged home, female, 94.
–During evacuation from damaged home, female, 81.
–During evacuation from damaged home, female, 80.
–Collapsed during cleanup, male, 66.
–Collapsed while driving to bring supplies, male, 40.
–Working 15 hrs/day for 13 days restoring electrical power, male, 42.
–Schizophrenic hyperactivity episode initiated by lack of ice, male, 36.
–32 Third week following storm up to end of six months.
–11 Vehicular-related. (Miami Herald shows 12.)[17]
–Downed stop sign, female passenger, 50.
–Downed stop sign, male passenger, 19.
–Downed stop sign, motorcycle passenger, male, 31.
–Inoperative signal light; female driver, 25.
–Collided with dump truck, female driver, 28.
–Collided with tow truck, male driver, 29.
–Downed stop sign, male driver, 35.
–Downed stop sign, male passenger, 14.
–Struck by tractor trailer, male driver, 31.
–Struck head-on by hurricane debris, male motorcyclist, 43.
–Stop light destroyed, female driver, 43.
— 6 Falls.
–Fall from table to concrete floor while repairing ceiling, male, 52.
–Construction worker fell from roof, male, 68.
–Fall from damaged 3rd floor balcony, female, 74.
–Fall from damaged 7th floor balcony, male, 78.[18]
–Fell while removing tape from 7th floor window, female, 74.
–Hip fracture and hyperthermia, hospital with power loss, female, 89.[19]
— 5 Fires and Smoke Inhalation.
–Burnt after pilot light ignited gasoline being poured, male, 47.
–Smoke inhalation in trailer fire due to electrical overload, male, 51.
–Campfire engulfed laborer sleeping in truck, male, 29.
–House fire from candles, female, 9.
–House fire from candles, female, 6.
— 2 Carbon monoxide poisoning.
–Sleeping with generator in next room, male, 23.
–Sleeping above generator, male, 55.
— 3 Electrocution.
–Storm-damaged electrical conduits, male, 44.
–Lineman working with electrical drill in cherry-picker, male, 31.
–Re-installing damaged roof fan, male, 40.
— 2 Tree-cutting.
–Crushed by imbalanced tree stump, male, 52.
–Struck by large tree branch, male, 22.
— 3 Miscellaneous.
–Neck crushed by bed of dump truck, male, 21.
–Struck by lightning while talking on hand-held radio, male, 55.
–Asphyxiated in rocking cradle at shelter, male, 8-days-old.
— 4 Suicides (males, 52-63, within 67 days of the storm). [Or 5][20]
–3 by self-inflicted gunshot wounds
–Hanging.
— 4 Homicides.
–Male robber, 16, shot by homeowner retrieving possessions, 20th day.
–National Guardsman stabs 3 FIU students, males 20, 21, female, 15.[21]
–26 Dyadic deaths (homicide-suicide) – 13 above the norm.[22]
— 3 Dade Co., Florida International University. Homicides, Nat. Guardsman shoots 3.[23]
— 1 Monroe Co. (indirect). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…1992. 12-10-1993.
Louisiana ( 17)
— 17 CDC. “Injuries and Illnesses Related to Hurricane Andrew – Louisiana, 1992.” MMWR.
— 17 LA Office of Public Health. “Hurricane Andrew-related Injuries and Illnesses.” 1992, 1.
— 17 Rappaport. Preliminary Report: Hurricane Andrew, 16-28 August, 1992. 10 Dec 1993
–8 (direct)
–Drowning, commercial fishing, in Gulf, male, 21. NWS. Hurricane Andrew.[24]
–Drowning, commercial fishing, in Gulf, male, 33. NWS. …Andrew, p. D1.
–Drowning, commercial fishing, in Gulf, male, 26. NWS. …Andrew, p. D1.
–Drowning, commercial fishing, in Gulf, male, 30. NWS. …Andrew, p. D1.
–Drowning, commercial fishing, in Gulf, male, 44. NWS. …Andrew, p. D1.
–Drowning, commercial fishing, in Gulf, male, ??. NWS. …Andrew, p. D1.
–Trauma; injured when hurricane-related tornado struck home, female, 2.
–Trauma; injured when hurricane-related tornado struck home, male, 63.
–9 (indirect) Rappaport and NWS. Hurricane Andrew, Appendix D, Table D.2.
–Motor vehicle accident during evacuation, male, age not provided.
–Motor vehicle accident; became disoriented driving during storm, female, 50.
–Electrocution; clearing yard debris, contacted live electrical pole, male, 34.
–Fall from tree while cutting tree from home, male 42.
–Possible electrocution and cardiopulmonary arrest, working on pole, male, 33.
–Cardiac arrest, male, 79.
–Asphyxiation, male, 86.
–Cardiac arrest, male, 44.
–Cardiac arrest, male, 65.
— 17 Roth, June 4, 2003.
By Parish:
— 1 Iberia (indirect). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.
— 1 Iberville (indirect). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.
— 2 Lafayette (indirect). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.
— 1 Orleans (indirect). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.
— 1 Plaquemines (indirect). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.
— 2 St. John the Baptist (direct). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…1992. 12-10-1993.
— 3 Terrebonne (indirect). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew…Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.
— 6 Offshore (direct). Rappaport. Preliminary Report…Andrew, 16-28 Aug, 1992. 12-10-1993.
Narrative Information
NOAA: “The costliest hurricane in U. S. history, Hurricane Andrew raked across southern Florida and Louisiana, causing 23 deaths and $25 billion in damages. More than 138,000 homes were destroyed and 86,000 lost their jobs. Some say the storm permanently altered the area’s economy and forced the closure of Homestead Air Force Base, which was leveled by wind damage. Had Andrew crossed the Florida coast just 10 miles further to the north, it would have devastated downtown Miami. Andrew serves as the benchmark when discussing potential devastation to populated coastal areas.” (NOAA. “NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water and Climate Events of the 20th Century.”)
Florida
FEMA: “Hurricane Andres was the most powerful hurricane to strike the United States since Hurricane Camille in 1969. On August 24, the eye of the storm moved ashore at 5:05 a.mm., EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), directly east of Homestead Air Force Base….The hurricane was classified as a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, with surface winds of 140 mph, and gusts up to 175 mph…Hurricane Andrew was relatively compact, but intense, with maximum winds in the eyewall extending to a radius of 12 miles.
“During the next 4 hours, Andrew moved across the Florida peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico. The most intense destruction from the storm occurred in a highly populated 300-square-mile area of south Dade County. At least 40 deaths in Florida were attributed to the storm. Some 75,000 single family homes, mobile homes, and apartments were destroyed or received major damage, and another 52,000 homes sustained minor damage. Approximately 160,000 people were left homeless by the hurricane. About 8,000 businesses were destroyed. [end of p. 7]
“Total insurance estimates of the overall damage are $30 billion. Estimates of Federal assistance under the Stafford Act for the State of Florida exceed $1.8 billion.” [p. 9] (FEMA. Andrew, Iniki, Omar: FEMA Evaluation of Federal Response and Recovery Efforts. Feb 1993.)
Rappaport: “Hurricane Andrew caused an enormous amount of destruction in southeastern Florida: over 25,000 homes were destroyed and more than 100,000 homes damaged, 90% percent of all mobile homes in the region of landfall were leveled, over $1 billion in damage was done to local agriculture, and total direct losses exceeded $26 billion.” (Rappaport 10 Dec 1993, p. 1700)
AP, Jan 31, 1993: “MIAMI (AP) Hurricane Andrew continued to claim lives months after the storm slammed through south Florida – deaths that haven’t been recorded in official estimates, a newspaper reported Sunday. The Miami Herald found that at least 85 people in Dade County had died by the end of 1992 of causes related to the Aug. 24 storm, based on a review of coroner and police records and on interviews. The deaths ranged from suicides to traffic fatalities in accidents at intersections where stop signs had been knocked down by the 175 mph winds, the newspaper reported.
“The Dade County Medical Examiner’s office set the death toll at 35, while the National Hurricane Center put the death toll at 44. The Hurricane Center also blamed four deaths in the Bahamas and six in Louisiana on Andrew.
“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is trying to come up with criteria for classifying a death as storm-related. ‘’Some coroners will include automobile accidents that occur during evacuation,’ said Debra Combs, a CDC epidemiologist who collected fatality information on Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Hugo, which hit Charleston, S.C., in 1989. ‘Others will include heart attacks from stress during and after the storm,’ Combs said. ‘But if you don’t have a uniform definition to begin with, how can you ever compare deaths in one jurisdiction with another?’
“Dade County’s death count included a 12-year-old girl killed when a beam in her bedroom fell on her during the storm and several people who died of heart attacks.
“The newspaper included three killings on the campus of Florida International University. A National Guardsman who was on duty because of the hurricane has been arrested in the case.
“The newspaper also included Candida Camporino, 74, who died nearly three months after the storm when she fell three stories to the death from a balcony where the screen and railings had been mangled by the hurricane.
“Another example was Harold Miller, who died of burns Sept. 22, 10 days after the storm, while trying to extinguish a garage fire fueled by gas for his emergency generator….” (AP News Archives. “Newspaper: Hurricane Andrew’s Death Toll Mounted Months After Storm.” 1-31-1993.)
Louisiana
FEMA: “After crossing the Gulf, Andrew moved toward the Louisiana coast as a Category 3 storm and made landfall in the early morning on August 26. The eye of the storm cut a path about 10 miles wide, crossing the coastline between Morgan City and New Iberia, moving northeasterly through St. Mary and Iberia Parishes. By the time it reached Baton Rouge, Andrew had winds of only 60 mph and several hours later was downgraded to a tropical storm before dissipating over Mississippi.
“Almost 42,000 residential units were damaged or destroyed, including 18,500 mobile homes. The electrical power distribution grid was seriously damaged with breaks in wires caused by fallen tree limbs and broken poles, impacting approximately 1.5 million people in 36 declared parishes. Estimates of Federal assistance under the Stafford Act for the State of Louisiana exceed $172 million.” (FEMA. Andrew, Iniki, Omar: FEMA Evaluation of Federal Response and Recovery Efforts. Feb 1993, p. 9.)
Roth: “Seven people died and 94 were injured across Southern Louisiana during Andrew. Winds reached hurricane force from Lafayette eastward to the Atchafalaya. The highest gusts reported were: 39 m.p.h. at Lake Charles Regional Airport, 66 m.p.h. at Moisant International Airport in New Orleans, 71 m.p.h. at Lafayette Regional Airport, 83 m.p.h. at Salt Point in St. Mary Parish, 104 m.p.h. at the Lafayette Parish Courthouse, 153 m.p.h. at the New Iberia Emergency Operating Center, and 173 m.p.h. at the Drilling Barge on Bayou Teche in St. Mary Parish.
Rainfall totals from Andrew exceeded 5 inches over a four day period from August 24-28 in many locations…with Robert receiving 11.02″ and Hammond receiving 11.92″. The storm surge moved inland from Lake Borgne westward to the Vermilion Bay…the highest surge reported was at 6.48 feet at Bayou Dupre. An F3 tornado struck LaPlace and stayed on the ground until reaching Reserve in St. John the Baptist Parish which caused 2 of the deaths. Around 1 1/2 million people evacuated across Southern Louisiana with damages estimated near 1 billion dollars in Louisiana.” (Roth, Louisiana Hurricane History: Late 20th Century, June 4, 2003.)
Sources
AP News Archives. “Newspaper: Hurricane Andrew’s Death Toll Mounted Months After Storm.” 1-31-1993. Accessed at: http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1993/Newspaper-Hurricane-Andrew-s-Death-Toll-Mounted-Months-After-Storm/id-9cfe602c59a1055fc685093cf6580fcd
Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill and London: UNC Press, 1998.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Injuries and Illnesses Related to Hurricane Andrew – Louisiana, 1992.” MMWR (Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report), Vol. 42, No. 13, pp. 242-242, 250-251, 4-9-1993. At: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00020139.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Preliminary Report: Medical Examiner Reports of Deaths Associated with Hurricane Andrew – Florida, August 1992.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR), Vol. 41, No. 35, 9-4-1992, pp. 641-644. Accessed 3-4-2014 at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr//preview/mmwrhtml/00017499.htm
Combs, Debra L., Lynn E. Quenemoen, R. Gibson Parrish and Joseph H. Davis. “Assessing disaster-attributed mortality: development and application of a definition and classification matrix.” International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 28, 1999, pp. 1124-1129. Assessed 3-2-2014 at: http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/28/6/1124.full.pdf
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Andrew, Iniki, Omar: FEMA Evaluation of Federal Response and Recovery Efforts. Washington, DC: FEMA, February 1993, 88 pages.
Gore, Rick. “Andrew Aftermath.” National Geographic, April 1993, pp. 2-37.
Gunn, Angus M. “Hurricane Andrew,” Chapter 167, pp. 620-623 in Encyclopedia of Disasters: Environmental Catastrophes and Human Tragedies (Volume 2). Greenwood Press, 2007.
Lew, Emma. O. and Charles. V. Wetli. “Mortality from Hurricane Andrew.” Journal of Forensic Science, Vol. 41, No. 3, May 1996, pp. 449-452. Abstract accessible at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8656186
Louisiana Office of Public Health. “Hurricane Andrew-related Injuries and Illnesses.” Louisiana Morbidity Report, Vol. 3, No. 6, November-December 1992, pp. 1-2. Accessed 5-29-2014 at: http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/assets/oph/Center-PHCH/Center-CH/infectious-epi/LMR/60s70s80s90s/90s/1992/novdec92.pdf
National Climatic Data Center. “Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters 1980-1994.” Table 4. NOAA, 8-4-1997. Accessed at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/techrpts/tr9403/tr9403.pdf
National Weather Service. Hurricane Andrew: South Florida and Louisiana, August 23-26, 1992 (Natural Disaster Survey Report). Silver Spring, MD: NWS, NOAA, November 1993, 207 pages. Accessed at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/assessments/pdfs/andrew.pdf
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water and Climate Events of the 20th Century.” NOAA News, 12-13-1999. Accessed at: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s334c.htm
Provenzo, Eugene F. Jr, and Asterie Baker Provenzo. In the Eye of Hurricane Andrew. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2002.
Rappaport, Edward N. Preliminary Report: Hurricane Andrew, 16-28 August, 1992. Miami FL: National Hurricane Center, NCEP, NOAA, 12-10-1993. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1992andrew.html
Rappaport, Edward N. Preliminary Report: Hurricane Andrew, 16-28 August, 1992. Miami FL: National Hurricane Center, NCEP, NOAA, 12-10-1993 update with 2-7-2005 category 5 upgrade addendum. Accessed at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1992andrew.html#TABLE3A
Roth, David. Louisiana Hurricane History: Late 20th Century. Lake Charles, LA: National Weather Service Forecast Office Lake Charles, LA, NOAA, 6-4-2003 modification. Accessed at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/lalate20hur.php
Townsend, Francis Fragos (Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism). “Table 1.2. Worst Natural Disasters in the United States, 1900-2005.” The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned. Washington, DC: White House, 2-23-2006. At: http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/index.html
Additional Reading:
Gore, Rick. “Andrew Aftermath.” National Geographic. April 1993, pp. 2-37.
Peacock, Walter Gillis, Betty Hearn Morrow, and Hugh Gladwin (eds.). Hurricane Andrew: Ethnicity, Gender, and the Sociology of Disasters. Miami, FL: Florida International Univ. 2000.
[1] Though this is a higher fatality figure than one usually sees reported for Hurricane Andrew, nonetheless it seems to us conservative. One need only read Lew and Wetli on the uncounted fatalities in two categories: (1) doubling of deaths among seniors with serious illness during the first week after the storm (at least 70 over the norm), and (2) doubling of murder-suicide events during six months following the storm.
[2] “Based, in part, on reports from the Dade County Medical Examiner and Louisiana Office of Public Health.”
[3] The range has to do with the possible double-counting of the one missing, presumed drowned boater.
[4] More detail in Dade Co. breakout in that article states that findings were from files of the Dade Co. Med. Exam.
[5] Provenzo and Provenzo (2002, p. 133) note as one of the five: “Francisco Mercado…who was upset over the destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew, shot himself in the chest a little more than two weeks after the storm.”
[6] Represents results of “investigation, autopsy, and toxicology reports for the 322 decedents whose deaths were investigated by the Dade County Medical Examiner (ME) Office from 12:01 a.m. on 22 August through midnight on 21 September 1992” wherein “we found 46…were hurricane related.” States that “a second reader” went over same date and attributed 42 deaths to the hurricane. Includes a note that reference is to Hurricane Andrew.
[7] 15 direct and 29 indirect deaths attributable to Andrew in FL.
[8] “From August 26 through September 1, public health officials contacted staff in seven district ME offices in southern Florida to request information about hurricane-associated mortality….The only district ME office to report deaths associated with the storm was…Dade County…As of September 1, the Dade County Medical Examiner Office reported receiving the bodies of 32 persons whose deaths were associated with Hurricane Andrew.”
[9] “Miami (AP) – Hurricane Andrew continued to claim lives months after the storm slammed through south Florida – deaths that haven’t been recorded in official estimates, a newspaper reported Sunday. The Miami Herald found that at least 85 people in Dade County had died by the end of 1992 of causes related to the Aug. 24 storm, based on a review of coroner and police records and on interviews. The deaths ranged from suicides to traffic fatalities in accidents at intersections where stop signs had been knocked down by the 175 mph winds…The newspaper included three killings on the campus of Florida International University. A National Guardsman who was on duty because of the hurricane has been arrested in the case. The newspaper also included Candida Camporino, 74, who died nearly three months after the storm when she fell three stories to her death from a balcony where the screen and railings had been mangled by the hurricane. Another example was Harold Miller, who died of burns Sept. 22, 10 days after the storm, while trying to extinguish a garage fire fueled by gas for his emergency generator…”
[10] Cites The Miami Herald, report of 1-31-1993 “that it could relate at least 43 additional (indirect) deaths in Dade County to Hurricane Andrew.” Rappaport had, in a table above this note, indicated 40 Dade County deaths.
[11] Apparent reference to Naomi Browning. Barnes (1998, p. 274), citing Gore. “Andrew Aftermath.” 1993.
[12] Apparent reference to Andrew Roberts. Barnes (1998, p. 274), citing Rick Gore. “Andrew Aftermath.” Nat. Geo.
[13] Conceivably this could be a reference to Mary Cowin, 64, who was impaled by a two-by-four in her bathroom and died three hours later after unsuccessful attempts of neighbors to get through to 911. (Gore 1993, p. 23.)
[14] Apparent reference to Jesse James. Barnes (1998, p. 274), citing Rick Gore. “Andrew Aftermath.” Nat. Geo.
[15] Apparent reference to Gladys Porter who refused to leave her mobile home and was later found in its debris. (Gore 1993, p. 23.)
[16] While Lew and Wetli note here 15 cases that could be related to the hurricane, they note on p. 452 that one of the unexpected categories of death related to Hurricane Andrew was “the unexpected increase in cardiovascular deaths in the elderly for the week following the storm. The medical examiner case load [of bodies to examine] doubled (from an average of 10 cases per day to 20 or more per day [meaning an increase of at least 70 deaths above the norm]) during that one week, with the increase due predominantly to ‘natural’ cardiovascular disease in the elderly. Although these deaths could not be attributed directly or indirectly to the storm, their collective demise in temporal proximity may represent the toll of Hurricane Andrew’s physical and psychosocial stress on those with limited cardiovascular reserve.”
[17] Cited by Provenzo and Provenzo, p. 133. Miami Herald has 8 deaths due to downed or malfunctioning lights, whereas Lew and Wetli show seven.
[18] Apparent reference to Anthony Margiotta of North Dade, who was blind. Barnes (1998, p. 274), citing Rick Gore. “Andrew Aftermath.” Nat. Geo.
[19] “Hip fracture complicated by hyperthermia due to loss of electrical power and air conditioning in hospital.”
[20] At beginning of article Lew and Wetli not five suicides. Provenzo and Provenzo also note five suicides. (p. 133)
[21] “…a Florida National Guardsman (assigned to the relief effort)…fatally stabbed three students (two males aged 20 and 21 years and a 15-year-old female) after an evening of bar-hopping 36 days after the storm.
[22] An ‘unexpected category of death was the doubling of dyadic incidents (homicide-suicide) where one partner in a relationship (usually the husband or boyfriend) kills the other partner (wife or girlfriend) before killing himself. The Dade County average of 1 dyadic death per month between January 1, 1988 and August 23, 1992 doubled in the six months following the hurricane, and, just as unexpectedly, returned to the pre-hurricane rate in the next six month period.” (p. 452.)
[23] AP News Archives. “Newspaper: Hurricane Andrew’s Death Toll Mounted Months After Storm.” 1-31-1993.
[24] Cited for all entries is the Center for Disease Control.