–12 U.S. mainland (8) and territories of Puerto Rico (3) and the U. S. Virgin Islands (1).

–12 (Direct). NWS. Service Assessment. Hurricane Bertha, July 5-14, 1996. April 1997, ix.[1]

–12 NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC. Hurricane Bertha July 12-13, 1996 Case Study.

–12 Lawrence, Miles B. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Bertha 05-14 July 1996.

— 8 (Direct). Lawrence, Miles B. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Bertha 05-14 July 1996. 1996.

— 8 (Direct). Pasch / Avila. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1996.” MWR, Vol. 127, May 1999.

— 8 U.S. Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons…Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, 50.[2]

— 8 U.S. NCDC, NOAA. Hurricane Bertha 1996 (webpage). 1-23-2009 update.

Florida (4)

–3 Direct. Drownings in rip currents and high surf. (Pasch and Avila 1999, 586)

–1 Jacksonville Beach, July 10. Drowning, ocean rip-tide; male swimmer, 28.[3]

–1 Miami-Dade metropolitan area. Drowning, male, 23.[4]

–1 Miami-Dade metropolitan area. Drowning, male, 55.[5]

–1 Indirect. Pensacola vic., July 11. Military jet crashed into house while evacuating; boy, 4.[6]

New Jersey (1)

–1 Direct. Ocean Beach, July 13. Drowning; male surfer (James Bianrosa), 41.[7]

North Carolina (3)

–2 Direct. NWS. Service Assessment. Hurricane Bertha, July 5-14, 1996. April 1997, p. 9.

–1 Direct.[8] Columbus zone, July 12. Fire (electrical, at residence); female 75.[9]

–1 Direct, Eastern Dare zone (Kitty Hawk), July 12-13. Vehicular, car accident; female, 29.[10]

–1 Direct. Drowning, rip currents. (Lawrence; NWS Newport/Morehead City; NWS.)[11]

Puerto Rico (3)

–2 NWS. Service Assessment. Hurricane Bertha, July 5-14, 1996. April 1997, p. 9.[12]

–2 Indirect. Automobile accident. (Lawrence. Hurricane Bertha 05-14 July 1996. 1996.)

–1 Direct. Drowning, surfing. (Lawrence. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Bertha…1996.)[13]

U.S. Virgin Islands (1)

–1 Male surfer drowns. The News, Frederick, MD. “Bertha (Cont. from A1),” 7-9-1996, A4.

St Marin (French) (2)

–1 Direct. Drowning, fell off boat. (Miles Lawrence. Hurricane Bertha 05-14 July 1996. 1996.)

–1 (Indirect) Electrocution. (Miles Lawrence. Hurricane Bertha 05-14 July 1996. 1996.)

Cause of Death (12)

Direct: (8)

Drowning: (7)

–1 FL. Jacksonville Beach, July 10. Drowning, ocean rip-tide; male swimmer, 28.

–1 FL. Miami-Dade metropolitan area. Drowning, male, 23.

–1 FL. Miami-Dade metropolitan area. Drowning, male, 55.

–1 NJ. Ocean Beach, July 13. Drowning; male surfer (James Bianrosa), 41.

–1 NC. Drowning, rip currents. (Lawrence; NWS Newport/Morehead City; NWS Ser. Asmt.)

–1 PR. Drowning, surfing. (Lawrence. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Bertha.)

–1 VI. Male surfer drowns.

Vehicular: (1)

–1 NC. Eastern Dare zone (Kitty Hawk), July 12-13. Vehicular, car accident; female, 29.

Indirect: (4)

Fire: (1)

–1 NC. Columbus zone, July 12. Fire (electrical, at residence); female 75.[14]

Plane Crash: (1)

–1 FL. Pensacola vic., July 11. Military jet crashed into house while evacuating; boy, 4.

Vehicular: (2)

–2 PR. Automobile accident. (Lawrence. Hurricane Bertha 05-14 July 1996. 1996.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Air Force Jet Crashes in Florida, Killing Boy.” Daily News, Los Angeles, CA, 7-12-1996. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AIR+FORCE+JET+CRASHES+IN+FLORIDA,+KILLING+BOY.-a083953112

Associated Press. “Bertha churns toward Atlantic, threatens Florida.” Texas City Sun, TX, 7-11-1996, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=145018957&sterm

Associated Press. “Pilot Who Crashed, Killed Boy Was Evacuating Due to Bertha,” Deseret News, UT, 7-13-1996. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/501531/PILOT-WHO-CRASHED-KILLED-BOY-WAS-EVACUATING-DUE-TO-BERTHA.html?pg=all

Lawrence, Miles B. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Bertha 05-14 July 1996. Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center, 11-9-1996. Accessed 5-3-2014: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1996bertha.html

Longshore, David. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Edition). New York, NY: Facts on File, 2008. 468 pages.

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Hurricane Bertha 1996 (webpage). 1-23-2009 update. Accessed 5-3-2014: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/hurricanes/bertha96/bertha.html#DISCUSSION

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details…High Wind… North Carolina…Columbus (zone)…07-12-1996. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5564440

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Hurricane (Typhoon)…Florida …Metropolitan Miami-Dade…07/10/1996….07/13/1996. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5561828

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Hurricane… North Carolina…Eastern Dare…07/12/1996…07/13/1996. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5580403

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Tropical Storm… New Jersey…Eastern Ocean…07/13/1996 05:00…07/13/1996 16:00. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5562800

National Weather Service, Newport/Morehead City, NC (Misty Duncan and David Glenn). Hurricane Bertha July 12-13, 1996 Event Summary / Case Study. NWS, NOAA. Accessed 5-1-2014 at: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/EventReviews/19960712/19960712.php

National Weather Service, NOAA. Service Assessment. Hurricane Bertha, July 5-14, 1996. Silver Spring, MD: NWS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce, April 1997. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/assessments/pdfs/bertha.pdf

Pasch, Richard J. and Lixion A. Avila. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1996.” Monthly Weather Review (American Meteorological Society) Vol. 127, May 1999, p. 582. Accessed 5-3-2014 at: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1996.pdf

The News, Frederick, MD. “Bertha (Cont. from A1),” 7-9-1996, A4. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=11983500&sterm=hurricane+bertha

Washington Post (Ruben Castraneda). “Bertha Lashes Region With Heath Rain,” 7-13-1996, A1. Accessed 5-4-2014: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/hurricane/archives/bertha96c.htm

Washington Post (Peter Finn and Lisa Frazier). “Weakened Bertha Wrecks Havoc,” 7-14-1996, A1. Accessed 5-4-2014 at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/hurricane/poststories/bertha.htm

[1] Breakout on p. 9 has 4 in FL, 2 in NC, 1 in NJ, 2 in PR, and two in French St. Martin, for a total of 11, though noting “12 deaths related to Hurricane Bertha.”

[2] Twelve in all, noting one in Puerto Rico and one in St. Martin.

[3] AP article published morning of July 11 wrote “Hours before Bertha’s wind and rain were expected to be felt on shore, one Florida death had been blamed on the storm: a 28-year-old swimmer was caught by a rip tide at Jacksonville Beach and carried out to sea.” (AP. “Bertha churns toward Atlantic, threatens Florida.” Texas City Sun, TX, 7-11-1996, 1.)

[4] NCDC, NOCC. Storm Events Database. Hurricane. Florida. Metropolitan Miami-Dade. 7/10-13/1996.

[5] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Hurricane. Florida. Metropolitan Miami-Dade. 7/10-13/1996.

[6] Lawrence, Miles B. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Bertha 05-14 July 1996. 1996. AP report writes: “The F-16 fighter that crashed and killed a 4-year-old boy was taking a roundabout route to an Air Force base because of evacuations caused by Hurricane Bertha, officials said Friday [July 12]. The Fighting Falcon was among 49 planes being evacuated to Eglin Air Force Base, about 45 miles east of here, from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., when it crashed into a house Thursday about a mile from Pensacola Regional Airport. Instead of going straight to Eglin, a four-plane formation that included the doomed jet flew about 250 miles past the base, turned around over New Orleans and then headed back east. The crash killed 4-year-old Sean Cannon and burned his mother, Robin Cannon, 30, over 30 percent of her body. She was in serious condition Friday. The boy’s grandfather was angry the pilot had been so far from Eglin. ‘I don’t know why he came in here over a populated area trying to land at a municipal airport when you’re having engine trouble…There’s Eglin over yonder surrounded by a thousand miles of woods.’….The flight plan was designed to create space between the F-16s and other planes using the base, said Maj. Jerry Renne, an Eglin spokesman….Renne said investigators have told him nothing about why the pilot, who reported having engine trouble 20 miles north of Pensacola, tried to land at a civilian airport surrounded by homes, businesses and schools instead of two nearby naval air fields.” (AP. “Pilot Who Crashed, Killed Boy Was Evacuating Due to Bertha,” Deseret News, UT, 7-13-1996.) Another AP story said the pilot, Capt. Frederik G. Hartwig, “ejected safely after the jet’s single engine failed 20 miles north of Pensacola…” and that he landed about a mile from the crash site and the airport. (Associated Press. “Air Force Jet Crashes in Florida, Killing Boy.” Daily News, Los Angeles, CA, 7-12-1996.)

[7] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Tropical Storm. New Jersey. Eastern Ocean. 7-13-1996. Identity of deceased from: Washington Post (Finn and Frazier). “Weakened Bertha Wrecks Havoc,” 7-14-1996, A1.

[8] The “Deaths Direct/Indirect” line shows “1/0” indicating this as a direct death. Indirect would have shown “0/1.” Direct versus indirect is perhaps an arguable point, thought it appears clear the death was hurricane Bertha related.

[9] Narrative notes that “Trees knocked out power, and it was restored near midnight. 3 hours later an electrical fire killed a woman.” NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. High Wind. North Carolina. Columbus zone. 7-12-1996.

[10] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Hurricane. North Carolina. Eastern Dare. 7/12-13/1996. Kitty Hawk location is from Washington Post (Ruben Castraneda). “Bertha Lashes Region With Heath Rain,” 7-13-1996, A1.

[11] Lawrence. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Bertha; NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC. Hurricane Bertha, 1996.

[12] “In Puerto Rico, one death occurred in an automobile accident and another died while surfing.”

[13] We assume this is a reference to “Surfer Lilton Jones, 35, of New York…missing and presumed dead in rough seas and high winds off Puerto Rico.” (The News, Frederick, MD. “Bertha (Cont. from A1),” 7-9-1996, A4.)

[14] Narrative notes that “Trees knocked out power, and it was restored near midnight. 3 hours later an electrical fire killed a woman.” NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. High Wind. North Carolina. Columbus zone. 7-12-1996.

1996 — July 9 (Puerto Rico), and 12-13 (East Coast), Hurricane Bertha, esp. NC — 12