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–12  City of Kansas City, MO. Emer. Mgmt. History (website). “Flood – October 4, 1998.

–12  NWS WFO Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO. Kansas City Flash Flood of October 4, 1998.

–12  Ray. “Over their Heads. Flood Response in Kansas City.” 9-1-1 Magazine, Jan/Feb 1999.

–11  Kansas City area. Kansas City Star. “KC officials missed vital flooding alert…” 10-15-1998.

–10  NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood, Missouri, Oct 4-5-1998 search.

–1  Buchanan Co., St. Joseph, Pigeon Creek ~41^st Road. Male, 56; car swept away.

–9  Jackson Co., Kansas City metropolitan area, Oct 4-5. NCDC. Storm Events Data.

— Male, 8, in water.

— Male, 17, vehicle/towed trailer.

— Male, 19, vehicle/towed trailer.

— Male, 27, vehicle/towed trailer.

— Male, 39, vehicle/towed trailer.

— Female, 25, vehicle/towed trailer.

— Female, 43, vehicle/towed trailer.

— Female, 44, vehicle/towed trailer.

— Female, 57, found decease at a tennis court in the Brush Creek basin.

 

Narrative Information

 

NCDC: “Thunderstorms containing very heavy rainfall over West Central Missouri on October 4th resulted in several episodes of major flash flooding. The most deadly and costly flooding occurred in Jackson County where nine people lost their lives on the evening of October 4th. The Kansas City metropolitan area experienced the worst of the flooding which was similar in historical context as the devastating flash flood in September 1977.

 

“Several episodes of heavy rain producing thunderstorms commenced on the morning of October 4th and continued into early afternoon. In Lee’s Summit, up to 10 people had to be rescued from a flooded apartment complex and the depth of the water on 3rd St reached 3 feet. This heavy rain fell on top of already saturated soil from rain that occurred 6 out of 7 days prior to October 4th. Shortly after 7 PM, a line of slow moving thunderstorms moved into the Kansas City metropolitan area. These thunderstorms produced 3 to 5 inches of rain in less than 2 hours in many locations. The combination of very intense downpours and dangerous lightning forced a 52 minute delay in the nationally televised Kansas City Chiefs-Seattle Seahawks football game at Arrowhead Stadium just outside the city limits of Kansas City in Jackson County. An 8 year old boy from Lake Jacomo was swept into a creek while playing near his home.

 

“The torrential rainfall resulted in severe flash flooding along Brush Creek in Kansas City. Seven people lost their lives as a result of their vehicles being swept into the rapidly moving stream while attempting to cross the water covered bridge over Brush Creek at Prospect Avenue. A 57 year old women was found dead at a tennis court near 53rd Street and State Line Road which is in the Brush Creek basin. An entire apartment complex along Woodland Avenue near Brush Creek was completely flooded and all tenants lost their home. At least 200 families in Kansas City reported damage to their home. Along Southwest Blvd., many business were severely damaged by flood waters and forced to close until relief arrived. There were numerous road closures in Kansas City as a result of the flash flood.

 

“North of the Missouri River in the Kansas City Metro area, numerous roads were closed in Platte County including portions of Highways 371 and 45. In Clay County, bridges were washed out at 188th Street and Nations and at 199th Street and Outer Road. Water 3 to 6 feet in depth covered roadways in Smithville and Mosby. Kansas City Fire Department reported over 200 water rescues throughout the Metro Area during the flood.

 

“Flash flooding also was reported in Buchanan County. A 56 year old St. Joseph man was killed when his car washed off the road into Pigeon Creek near 41st Road on the south side of St. Joseph. The heaviest 24 hour rainfall amounts of 7 inches were reported in Ray and Carroll Counties. Numerous roads were closed in Carrollton including sections of Highway 65. In Ray County, Highway 210 was closed and P Highway was blocked off near Camden due to a mudslide.” (NCDC. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood, MO, Jackson Co., Oct 4-5, 1998.)

 

NWS WFO Kansas City/Pleasant Hill: “During the afternoon and evening of Sunday, October 4th, 1998, two separate rounds of thunderstorms produced unusually high rainfall rates in the Kansas City metropolitan area.  The intense rainfall, on top of already saturated soils and in a largely urban environment, quickly resulted in excessive runoff and flash flooding.  Flash flooding along Brush Creek, Turkey Creek and Indian Creek resulted in eleven people losing their lives – eight lives alone were claimed as Brush Creek inundated the Prospect Road bridge.   Ten of the eleven deaths occurred after sunset and in automobiles, traditionally high risk factors associated with flash floods.  In addition to the fatalities in Kansas City, another death attributed to flash flooding was reported in St. Joseph, Missouri.  The flash flood received national attention, as millions watched as the deluge swamped a nationally televised football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.  In addition to the flash flooding in Kansas City, reports of hail up to quarter-sized, wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and high impact river flooding was reported.  All toll, damages were estimated at over $50 million.”

 

“Historically, the flash flood of October 4th, 1998, is the second deadliest flash flood in Kansas City’s history, eclipsed only by the September 11-12, 1977 flash flood that killed 29 people and resulted in over $100 million in property damages that affected the Country Club Plaza.” (NWS WFO Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO. Kansas City Flash Flood of October 4, 1998.)

 

Kansas City Star, Oct 15: “A city monitoring system predicted flash flooding along Brush Creek at least 30 minutes before seven Kansas Citians were swept to their deaths from the Prospect Avenue bridge on Oct. 4, officials said Wednesday.

 

“The Kansas City Fire Department, however, never received that information because someone had unplugged part of the warning system from an electrical outlet.

 

“Kansas City Fire Chief Rick Brisbin said Wednesday that even if the department had received the early warning, he doubted firefighters could have responded any faster to the disaster that killed 11 persons in the area. ‘If the information you get is timely and you have the resources to deploy, it works,’ Brisbin said. ‘We ran out of people to answer calls and barricade intersections.’

 

“The Kansas City Star examined data compiled by the National Weather Service from the city’s monitoring system the night of the storm. The data were identical to the information the Fire Department should have received. The records show that between 7 and 8 p.m. up to 2.95 inches of rain had fallen in the Brush Creek watershed – almost three times as much as was needed to trigger flash flooding.

 

“By 7:12 p.m., the weather service had reissued a flash-flood warning with the admonition that ‘residents living along streams and creeks should take immediate precautions to protect life and property.’

 

“Friends and relatives of the seven who perished on the Prospect bridge said the victims were swept from the tops of their cars into the creek about 8:30 p., The first fire units on the scene of the Prospect bridge arrived about 9 p.m., Brisbin said, but y then not even the cars were visible.

 

“Even if the warning system hadn’t been unplugged, Brisbin acknowledged Wednesday that the city has no contingency plans to deal with flash flooding on Brush Creek – despite a 1977 flood that devastated the Country Club Plaza and killed 25 persons….

 

“Brisbin said the receiving equipment for the $275,000 warning system[1] was unplugged at the Fire Department by an employee who was working on the equipment and later forgot to reconnect it.[2] No data were reported on city terminals at the fire communications center….”

(Kansas City Star (Mark Morris), MO. “KC officials missed vital flooding alert. Unplugged equipment, lack of disaster plan hindered Fire Department.” 10-15-1998.)

 

Kansas City Star, Oct 21: “Two minutes before 3 p.m., the National Weather Service issues a flash flood warning for Jackson County. In Kansas City, police, fire and public works crews go on alert. Shortly after 7 p.m. sensors in the Fire Department’s communications building signal dangerously high water levels in Brush Creek. Following a carefully prepared and rehearsed plan, workers proceed to intersections and barricade them. This is what should have happened on Oct. 4. It’s not asking for much. But it didn’t happen. Kansas City had no plan to block its flood-prone streets. The Fire Department’s sensors had been unplugged for two months.

 

“Sometime after 8 p.m., seven persons were stranded in their vehicles on the Prospect Avenue bridge. Their final moments were ones of terror, and they died in the black waters of Brush Creek. Now Kansas City faces the awful question: Did municipal negligence doom those persons?….

 

“…it’s not too early to say that when it counted, city government was shamefully unprepared. In a city with a history of flash flooding, no flash flood emergency plan existed….

 

“Offers of help from an underwater rescue and recovery team went ignored until it was time to search for bodies.[3]

 

“Kansas City’s sole plan was to wait until 911 calls lit up the switchboard….” (Kansas City Star (Barbara Shelly), MO. “Once again, city was unprepared. Weather Service issues a flash flood warning for Jackson County.” 10-21-1998.)

 

Kansas City Star, Oct 21: “Kansas City government’s handling of the Oct. 4 flash flooding looks increasingly inept as new developments come to light. First came the news that the city’s Brush Creek flood warning system was unplugged. This was inexcusable. Next, it turned out a similar system had worked wonders in Johnson County. Given just 30 minutes to respond to the hazards of rising waters, emergency crews there blocked roads and help people out of harm’s way.

 

“This week, it was revealed that the Fire Department took too long to call for help from the Underwater Rescue and Recovery team out of Lee’s Summit during the flash flooding.

 

“Rather than concede that mistakes were made, Fire Department officials are continuing to insist than none of the agency’s missteps made much difference. Such arguments defy logic and common sense. The Johnson County experience, for example, clearly illustrated what everyone knows: Every minute counts in mounting a well-organized effort to stop people from entering raging waters on streets and bridges….” (Kansas City Star, MO. “KC’s flood plan didn’t exist. Oct. 4 flash flooding looks increasingly inept as new developments come to light.” 10-21-1998.)

 

Kansas City Star, Oct 21: “Fairly or not, many Kansas City residents have low standards for City Hall…Sadly, officials in the Water Services and Fire Departments lived down to these low expectations with their incompetent actions before the deadly Oct. 4 flash flooding.

 

“The city ignored admonitions that many components of the flash flood warning system along Brush Creek were not working….”[4] (Kansas City Star. “City Hall flood mess gets worse…Sadly, officials in the Water Services and Fire Departments lived down to…low expectations with their incompetent…” 10-23-1998.)

 

Kansas City Star, Nov 19: “ Kansas City… In response to the Oct. 4 flash flood that killed 11 persons in the Kansas City area, a City Council committee approved an ordinance Wednesday that would create a new office for hazard emergency management. The new office would be controlled by the city manager’s office, instead of the Kansas City Fire Department. The director of the office, appointed by the city manager, would be empowered to move and deploy emergency personnel. The ordinance also calls for the new office to develop an emergency operations plan for the city. The ordinance now will go before the full City Council.” (Kansas City Star, MO. “Metropolitan Digest.” 11-19-1998.)

 

City of Kansas City, MO: “Emergency Management History….The next stage of emergency management for Kansas City came in November 1998 when the present day Office of Emergency Management was created.  The office was made a separate division under the City Manager’s Office and provided the city with a full time staff dedicated to implementing the principles of preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation for major emergencies and disasters for the City of Kansas City.” (City of Kansas City, MO. Emergency Management History (website). “Flood – October 4, 1998.”)

 

Sources

 

City of Kansas City, MO. Emergency Management History (website). “Flood – October 4, 1998.” Accessed 1-3-2016 at: http://kcmo.gov/oem/emergency-management-history/

 

Kansas City Star (Yael T. Abouhalkay), MO. “City Hall flood mess gets worse…Sadly, officials in the Water Services and Fire Departments lived down to…low expectations with their incompetent actions before the deadly Oct. 4 flash flooding.” 10-23-1998.

 

Kansas City Star (Mark Morris), MO. “KC officials missed vital flooding alert. Unplugged equipment, lack of disaster plan hindered Fire Department.” 10-15-1998.

 

Kansas City Star (Yael T. Abouhalkay), MO. “KC’s flood plan didn’t exist. Oct. 4 flash flooding looks increasingly inept as new developments come to light.” 10-21-1998.

 

Kansas City Star, MO. “Metropolitan Digest. The Oct. 4 flash flood that killed 11 persons in the Kansas City; a City Council committee approved an ordinance Wednesday that would create a new office for hazard emergency management.” 11-19-1998.

 

Kansas City Star (Barbara Shelly), MO. “Once again, city was unprepared. Weather Service issues a flash flood warning for Jackson County.” 10-21-1998.

 

Kansas City Star (Yael T. Abouhalkay), MO. “Use flood warning system! Useless Piece of junk during a recent flash flood because it was incompetently and irresponsibly handled by Kansas City’s Fire Department.” 10-15-1998.

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood, Missouri, Buchanan County, Oct 4-5-1998. Accessed 1-13-2016 at:  http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5673325

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood, Missouri, Jackson County, Oct 4-5, 1998. Accessed 1-13-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5673318

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO. Kansas City Flash Flood of October 4, 1998. Accessed 1-13-2016 at: http://www.weather.gov/eax/event-oct041998

 

Ray, Slim. “Over their Heads. Flood Response in Kansas City.” 9-1-1 Magazine, Jan/Feb 1999, pp. 50-51 and 69. Accessed 5-25-2016 at: http://www.cfspress.com/overtheirheads.pdf

 

Additional Reading

 

Kansas City Star (Mark Morris), MO. “When disaster strikes. City officials had been told of gauge flaws two years ago.” 10-22-1998.

 

 

 

[1] Given to the city by the federal government in 1995. (Ray, Slim. “Over their Heads. Flood Response in Kansas City.” 9-1-1 Magazine, Jan/Feb 1999, p. 50.)

[2] Slim Ray writes that the warning system had been “unplugged three months earlier in favor of an AM/FM radio.” (Ray. “Over their Heads.” 9-1-1 Magazine, Jan/Feb 1999, p. 50.)

[3] “By 7:00, the nearby Lee’s Summit Underwater Rescue and Recovery Team had put itself on standby and informed Kansas City dispatch. They were the only emergency unit in the area with any swiftwater rescue training….The Lee’s summit team called again, but got no reply.” (Ray. 9-1-1 Magazine, Jan/Feb 1999, pp. 50-51.)

[4] “…the gauges hadn’t been maintained. Fewer than half of them were still working. Only two of six were operational on Brush Creek, and those were not working properly. The responsibility for monitoring and fixing them was dispersed among a number of agencies and departments.” (Ray. 9-1-1 Magazine, Jan/Feb 1999, p. 50.)

 

Internationally:          (602 direct)[1]

—      2  Antigua.  Chicago Tribune. “Death Toll from Georges Rises to 172.” 10-7-1998.

—      1  Bahamas.  Chicago Tribune. “Death Toll from Georges Rises to 172.” 10-7-1998.

—      6  Cuba.  Chicago Tribune. “Death Toll from Georges Rises to 172.” 10-7-1998.

—  380  Dominican Republic.  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes…Cyclones. 2008, 204.

—>265      “     Chicago Tribune. “Death Toll…Georges Rises to 172.” 10-7-1998.

—  209  Haiti.  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes…and Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, 204.

—  172      “     Chicago Tribune. “Death Toll from Georges Rises to 172.” 10-7-1998.[2]

—      4  St. Kitts.  Chicago Tribune. “Death Toll from Georges Rises to 172.” 10-7-1998.

 

U.S. and Territories:  (17)

—>17  Blanchard tally of five U.S. mainland deaths and >12 in territory of Puerto Rico.[3]

—  11  Wikipedia. “Hurricane Georges.” 4-23-2014 modification.

—    5  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes…and Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, 205.

 

Alabama                     (    1)

— 1  Guiney. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Georges, 15 September – 01 October 1998, p. C5.

— 1  Mobile. Freshwater flooding. NWS WFO Mobile/Pensacola. Hurricane Georges…

 

Florida                        (    2)

— 1  Fire started by candles during power outage. (Longshore 2008, 205.)

— 1  Crestview. Vehicular accident on rain-slick highway. (Longshore 2008, 205.)

 

Louisiana                   (    2)

— 3  Wikipedia. “Hurricane Georges.” 4-23-2014 modification.[4]

— 2  Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Coastal residents return to wet mess.” 9-30-1998, p. A12.

— 1  New Orleans. Heat stress while being evacuated; elderly female. (Longshore 2008, 205.)

— 1  Fire started by candles during power outage. (Longshore 2008, 205.)

 

Puerto Rico                (>12)

–12  Balletto, Barbara. Insight Guide Puerto Rico. 2003, p. 50.

–12  Blanchard tally based on locality and date reports below.[5]

–12  FEMA. The President’s Long Term Recovery Action Plan January 1999. Puerto Rico… p. 5.[6]

–12  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, 204.

–12  Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Coastal residents return to wet mess.” 9-30-1998, p.A12.[7]

–11  Chicago Tribune. “Death Toll from Georges Rises to 172.” 10-7-1998.

—  8  CDC. “Deaths Associated with Hurricane Georges–Puerto Rico, Sep 1998.” MMWR.[8]

—  7  Wikipedia. “Hurricane Georges.” 4-23-2014 modification.

—  5  NYT News Service. “Georges buffets Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Island.” 9-22-1998.[9]

—  4  (As of Sep 23). AP (Norton). “Georges storms Caribbean,” Altoona Mirror, 9-24-1998, C1.

—  4  (As of Sep 22). AP. “Hurricane roars into Dominican Republic.” Cedar Rapids Gazette.[10]

—  0  NCDC. Storm Events Database. Search Results for All (Zone), (Puerto Rico), Sep 20-22.[11]

Breakout by Locality (where we have been able to identify):

— 3  Bayamon (San Juan vicinity), Sep 21. Home roof collapse.[12]

— 1  Bayamon, Sep 24. Carbon monoxide poisoning, gas generator, family store; male, 46.[13]

— 4  Caguas, Sep 25. Fire, candles to light home; mother, 27, children aged 4, 6, 7.

— 1  Ponce, Sep 23. Carbon monoxide poisoning at home, gasoline generator; female, 28.[14]

— 1  San Juan, Sep 28. Electrocution, repairing storm-damaged cable; male, 49.[15]

— 1  Utuado, Sep 25 (Sep 22 inj.). Trauma, fell while removing water from home; male, 66.[16]

 

Narrative Information

 

CDC: “On the evening of September 21, 1998, Hurricane Georges struck Puerto Rico with estimated maximum winds of 115 mph (Category 3). It made multiple landfalls throughout the Caribbean, including Antigua, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hispaniola, and Cuba. On September 25, Hurricane Georges struck the U.S. mainland near Key West, Florida, and made final landfall on September 27 in Biloxi, Mississippi, as a Category 2 hurricane. This report presents preliminary data about deaths resulting from the hurricane in Puerto Rico. On September 23, all 78 civil divisions in Puerto Rico reported damage to homes, and 416 government-run shelters were housing approximately 28,000 persons. Approximately 700,000 persons were without water, and 1 million had no electricity.” (CDC 1998, p. 897.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press (Michael Norton). “Georges storms Caribbean,” Altoona Mirror, 9-24-1998, C1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=72959164&sterm=puerto

 

Associated Press (San Juan). “Hurricane Georges whirls into Puerto Rico; 3 killed.” Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. 9-22-1998, p. 11A. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=153674076&sterm=puerto+rico+hurricane

 

Balletto, Barbara. Insight Guide Puerto Rico. Insight Guides, 2003, p. 50.

 

Blake, Eric S., Christopher W. Landsea (NHC), and Ethan J. Gibney (NCDC, Asheville, NC). The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones From 1851 to 2010 (and Other Frequently Requested Hurricane Facts). Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, Aug 2011. Accessed 5-21-2014: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/nws-nhc-6.pdf

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Deaths Associated with Hurricane Georges – Puerto Rico, September 1998.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), Vol. 47, No. 42, 10-30-1998, pp. 897-898. Accessed 5-21-2014 at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00055476.htm

 

Chicago Tribune. “Death Toll from Georges Rises to 172.” 10-7-1998. Accessed 5-21-2014 at: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-10-07/news/9810070161_1_death-toll-dominican-republic-hurricane-georges

 

Federal Emergency Management Agency. The President’s Long Term Recovery Action Plan January 1999. Puerto Rico, Hurricane Georges, September 1998. Washington, DC: FEMA, Jan 1999.

 

Guiney, John L. (NHC). Preliminary Report. Hurricane Georges, 15 September – 01 October 1998. Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center, NOAA, 1-5-1999. Accessed 5-21-2014 at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1998georges.html

 

Longshore, David. “Georges, Hurricane. North Atlantic Ocean-Puerto Rico-Cuba-Southern United States, September 15-October 1, 1998,” Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Edition). New York, NY:  Facts on File, 2008, pp. 203-205.

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Search Results for All (Zone), (Puerto Rico), between 09/20/1998 and 09/22/1998. Accessed 5-21-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=ALL&beginDate_mm=09&beginDate_dd=20&beginDate_yyyy=1998&endDate_mm=09&endDate_dd=22&endDate_yyyy=1998&county=ALL&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=99%2CPUERTO+RICO

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Mobile/Pensacola. Hurricane Georges: September 28, 1998. Accessed 5-21-2014 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/?n=georges

 

N.Y. Times News Service. “Georges buffets Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Island.” The Orange Leader, TX, 9-22-1998, 6B. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=127395037&sterm

 

Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, Inc., Tallahassee, FL. Hurricane Georges Assessment: Review of Hurricane Evacuation Studies Utilization and Information Dissemination. For U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile and Jacksonville Districts, and FEMA Region IV, August, 1999. At (5-21-2014): http://orise.orau.gov/csepp/documents/planning/evacuation-documents/federal-reports/georges.pdf

 

Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Coastal residents return to wet mess.” 9-30-1998, p. A12. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=28707432&sterm

 

Wikipedia. “Hurricane Georges.” 4-23-2014 modification. Accessed 5-21-2014 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Georges

[1] Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, Inc., Tallahassee, FL. Hurricane Georges Assessment. August 1999, iii.

[2] Notes another 47 missing.

[3] We write “at least” 17 deaths in that we believe there were more than the 12 deaths we have noted in Puerto Rico.

[4] We are not using this number; it is the only source we have seen noting three fatalities and source is not cited.

[5] The CDC notes 8 specific deaths, the earliest of which was on Sep 23. The AP, as of the 22^nd, notes 4 deaths. Thus there would have been at least 12 deaths. The number could be as many as 17 if the NYT News Service/AP report of Sep 22 was accurate as to three mudslide and two heart attack in shelters fatalities.

[6] “Civil Defense measures, implemented well in advance, kept the human casualty toll to a minimum; indeed, most of the dozen storm-related deaths resulted from accidents involving heroic linesmen striving to restore electrical service after Georges was long gone.” (Message from the Governor, Pedro Rossello.)

[7] “At least three killed directly by the storm, nine others by heart attacks and other health complications.”

[8] “The medical examiner (ME) at the Institute of Forensic Sciences provided information about the number and causes of deaths associated with Hurricane Georges. The ME determined whether a death was hurricane-related, including deaths during the impact phase of the storm (i.e., associated with high winds, storm surge, or flash flooding), and during the post-impact phase (i.e., associated with hurricane-related effects such as structural damage, power outages, and injuries incurred during cleanup).”

[9] From The Orange Leader, TX. Writes that “The Associated Press reported that five people had been killed by the storm in Puerto Rico, three in a landslide outside San Juan and two who suffered heart attacks in shelters. A sixth person was reported missing in a separate landslide near San Juan.”

[10] “In Puerto Rico, officials lowered the death toll from five to four Tuesday [Sep 22].”

[11] Means there were no “direct” fatalities due to the hurricane.

[12] “The season’s most ferocious hurricane plowed into Puerto Rico on Monday [Sep 21], killing three people in a roof collapse….Mari Tere Pacheco, a spokeswoman for the civil defense authority in Puerto Rico, said the three died when their home’s roof collapsed on top of them in the San Juan suburb of Bayamon.” (AP (San Juan). “Hurricane Georges whirls into Puerto Rico; 3 killed.” Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. 9-22-1998, p. 11A.)

[13] CDC. “Deaths Associated with Hurricane Georges – Puerto Rico, September 1998.” MMWR, 47/42, 1998, p.897.

[14] CDC. “Deaths Associated with Hurricane Georges – Puerto Rico, September 1998.” MMWR, 47/42, 1998, p.897.

[15] CDC. “Deaths Associated with Hurricane Georges – Puerto Rico, September 1998.” MMWR, 47/42, 1998, p.898.

[16] CDC. “Deaths Associated with Hurricane Georges – Puerto Rico, September 1998.” MMWR, 47/42, 1998, p.898.

–229  Transportation Safety Board of Canada. In-Flight Fire Leading to Collision with Water. –117  U.S. CNN. “Names of Swissair Crash victims.” Accessed 10-28-2017   States of Residence of U.S. Victims   Alabama          (  1) California        (  7) Colorado         (  2) Connecticut     (10) Florida             (  9) Georgia           (  3) Illinois             (  1) Indiana                        (  2) Kansas             (  1) Louisiana         (  3) Maryland         (  4) Massachusetts (  8) Michigan         (  2) Nevada            (  2) New Jersey      (  9) New York       (27) Ohio                (  7) Pennsylvania   (  1) Utah                (  1) Virginia           (  1) Washington     (  4) Not noted        (11) Narrative Information   TSB Synopsis: “On 2 September 1998, Swissair Flight 111 departed New York, United States of America, at 2018 eastern daylight savings time on a scheduled flight to Geneva, Switzerland, with 215 passengers and 14 crew members on board. About 53 minutes after departure, while cruising at flight level 330, the flight crew smelled an abnormal odour in the cockpit. Their attention was then drawn to an unspecified area behind and above them and they began to investigate the source. Whatever they saw initially was shortly thereafter no longer perceived to be visible. They agreed that the origin of the anomaly was the air conditioning system. When they assessed that what they had seen or were now seeing was definitely smoke, they decided to divert. They initially began a turn toward Boston; however, when air traffic services mentioned Halifax, Nova Scotia, as an alternative airport, they changed the destination to the Halifax International Airport. While the flight crew was preparing for the landing in Halifax, they were unaware that a fire was spreading above the ceiling in the front area of the aircraft. About 13 minutes after the abnormal odour was detected, the aircraft’s flight data recorder began to record a rapid succession of aircraft systems-related failures. The flight crew declared an emergency and indicated a need to land immediately. About one minute later, radio communications and secondary radar contact with the aircraft were lost, and the flight recorders stopped functioning. About five and one-half minutes later, the aircraft crashed into the ocean about five nautical miles southwest of Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada. The aircraft was destroyed and there were no survivors.” (Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Aviation Investigation Report. In-Flight Fire Leading to Collision with Water. Swissair Transport Limited… “Synopsis.”)   Sources   CNN. “Names of Swissair Crash victims.” Accessed 10-28-2017 at: http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9809/swissair.victims.list/index.html   Find A Grave. “Eudyce D Ball.” Record added 9-25-2016. Accessed 10-28-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=170566942   Find A Grave. “Jane Browne Bove.” Record added 4-13-2012. Accessed 10-28-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=88463012   Find A Grave. “Susan Jean Burghardt.” Record added 2-17-2012. Accessed 10-28-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=85091796   Kimber, Stephen. Flight 111: A Year in the Life of a Tragedy. Seal Books, a division of Random House of Canada, Ltd., 1999. Google digital preview accessed 10-28-2017 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=mFZcDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false   Lawrence Journal World, KS. “Services Scheduled for Victim of Crash.” 10-13-1998. Accessed 10-28-2017 at: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/1998/oct/13/services_scheduled_for_victim/   New York Times. “Deaths: Bolsterli, Andrew H.” 9-5-1998. Accessed 10-28-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/05/classified/paid-notice-deaths-bolsterli-andrew-h.html   New York Times. “Topf, Gibson, Nancy.” 9-8-1998. Accessed 10-28-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/08/classified/paid-notice-deaths-topf-gibson-nancy.html   Newspaperarchive.com. “Obituaries: Odette Tahmoush.” Accessed 10-28-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/odette-tahmoush-obituary-22297151/   Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Aviation Investigation Report. In-Flight Fire Leading to Collision with Water. Swissair Transport Limited, McDonnell Douglas MD-11 HB-IWF, Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia 5 nm SW, 2 September 1998 (Report # A98H0003). 352 pages. Accessed 10-28-2017 at: http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/1998/a98h0003/a98h0003.pdf

International

–20  National Weather Ser., Miami, FL. “Monthly Tropical Weather Summary.” 12-1-1998.[1]

—  9  Mexico.  Brownsville Herald, TX. “Floods claim 16 victims.” 8-25-1998, p. 10.[2]

—  3  Mexico.  Roth, David (NWS, NOAA). Texas Hurricane History: Late 20^th Century. 1998.

 

Texas                          (16-19)

— 19  HurricaneCity.com. “Tropical Storm Charley.” (as of Sep 7, 1998)

— 16  Brownsville Herald, TX. “Floods claim 16 victims [“in Del Rio area”].” 8-25-1998, p. 1.

— 15  Blanchard tally from County breakouts below.

— 13  Brazos River Authority. History. “Timeline of the Brazos River Basin.” 

— 13  Rappaport, Ed. Preliminary Report: Tropical Storm Charley, 21-24 August 1998. 1998.[3]

— 12  Roth, David (NWS, NOAA). Texas Hurricane History. 1-17-2010 update, p.  65.

— 12  Roth, David (NWS, NOAA). Texas Hurricane History: Late 20^th Century. 1998.

By Texas County:

— 1  Galveston Co., Galveston, Flagship Hotel, Sep 22 (Aug 21 injury). Drowning; male 31.[4]

— 4  Real County, Hwy. 41, Aug 23. Pickup swept away by rising water. (Rappaport, 1998.)[5]

–1 Female, 20. NCDC. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood. Texas. Real. 8-23-1998.

–1 Female, 16. NCDC. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood. Texas. Real. 8-23-1998.

–1 Female, 3.  NCDC. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood. Texas. Real. 8-23-1998.

–1 Male, 2. NCDC. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood. Texas. Real. 8-23-1998.

— 1  Uvalde County, Garner State Park, Aug 23. Heart attack while being evacuated, male, 65.[6]

-~9  Val Verde Co., Del Rio. Daily News, Galveston County, TX. “Del Rio…” 9-9-1998, A2.

— 9  Val Verde County, Del Rio, San Felipe Creek, Aug 23 [into 24^th]. (Rappaport, 1998.)

— 1 Freshwater drowning; female, 52, mobile home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

— 1 Freshwater drowning; female, 56, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

— 1 Freshwater drowning; female, 67, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

— 1 Freshwater drowning; female, 77, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

— 1 Freshwater drowning; male, 37, mobile home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.[7]

— 1 Freshwater drowning; male, 71, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.[8]

— 1 Freshwater drowning; male, 72, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

— 1 Freshwater drowning; male, 74, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.[9]

— 1 Freshwater drowning; male, 74, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

 

Cause of Death:

Direct:                        (10)

–1  Galveston Co., Galveston, Flagship Hotel, Sep 22 from Aug 21 injury. Drowning; male 31.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning, mobile home.; female, 52.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning, permanent home; female, 56.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning, permanent home; female, 67.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning,, permanent home, female, 77.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning, mobile home; male, 37.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning, permanent home; male, 71.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning, permanent home; male, 72.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning, permanent home; male, 74.

–1  Val Verde County, Del Rio, Aug 23-24. Freshwater drowning, permanent home; male, 74.

 

Indirect:         (  5)

Health-related:

— 1  Uvalde County, Garner State Park, Aug 23. Heart attack while being evacuated, male, 65.

Vehicular:

— 1  Real County, Texas Highway 41, 8-23-1998. Pickup driven into flood water; female, 20.

— 1  Real County, Texas Highway 41, 8-23-1998. Pickup driven into flood water; female, 16.

— 1  Real County, Texas Highway 41, 8-23-1998. Pickup driven into flood water; female, 3.

— 1  Real County, Texas Highway 41, 8-23-1998. Pickup driven into flood water; male, 2.

 

Not Noted:     (1-4)

 

Narrative Information

 

Brazos River Authority: “Tropical Storm Charley affected the Lower Brazos River watershed.  Most of the flooding occurred in the Rio Grande River basin causing 13 deaths and $50 million in damages.”  (Brazos River Authority.  History.  “Timeline of the Brazos River Basin.”)

 

Hurricane City: “Corpus Christi, Texas: Hit the morning of August 22nd with 60mph winds. Very heavy rain has caused flooding in Bee, Refugio & Brazoria counties as nearly 12 inches of rain have fallen so far. Several tornadoes have been spotted but no reports of damage as of yet. (more info will be provided as it becomes available) As of 8/24: Del Rio Texas is getting nailed by heavy rainfall from the remnants of tropical storm Charley. Up to 17″ of rain have fallen so far. As of 9/7: Death toll now 19 and some still missing, flooding has damaged nearly 1,000 Del Rio homes & businesses. In Laredo 30 homes damaged by a surge of water.”

(HurricaneCity.com. “Tropical Storm Charley.”)

 

NCDC, Real County:  “By nightfall on the evening of Saturday, August 22nd, the remains of Charley had stalled over southern Uvalde and northern Zavala Counties. Heavy rainfall from the previous week had left soils in the two counties saturated. Through the night and into the early morning hours of Sunday, August 23rd, heavy rainfall in bands continued over mainly these two counties. Thunderstorms in the bands were producing rainfall rates approaching five inches per hour. A total of between 6 and 8 inches was reported between the towns of Uvalde, Batesville and Leakey. A devastating flood wave developed along the Frio, Dry Frio, Sabinal and Nueces Rivers and moved over camps, recreational areas and residential sections of Uvalde, Real and Zavala Counties. Four lives were lost where a small creek crosses Highway 41 about four miles west of the highway 83 intersection in the extreme northeast corner of Real County near 7:30 am CST. This was at the divide between the South Fork of the Llano, the Frio, and the Guadalupe River drainages. Most likely the incident occurred in the South Fork of the Llano River drainage. Eleven citizens of Mexico were traveling in a 3/4 ton pickup truck as it drove into the flooded roadway. All occupants were thrown into the river, and all but four were rescued by volunteer firemen from Hunt, Mountain Home, and Kerrville.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Flash Flood… Texas…Real [county]…8-23-1998.)

 

NCDC, Del Rio and Val Verde County: “By nightfall on the 23rd, the central low pressure associated with the remainder of Charley had indeed stalled near Del Rio. A second siege of devastating rain fell between 9 pm and 2 am, producing over 10 inches by midnight. The intense rain was again in a “feeder band”, oriented north to south over Del Rio and extending up the Devils River to above Bakers Crossing, eventually drifting slowly eastward to the Sycamore and Pinto Creek drainages. Heavy rain began falling in Del Rio at 9 pm, and produced 10 inches of rain by midnight. In all, nearly 18 inches of rain fell between 8 am Sunday morning and 6 am Monday morning. This is approximately the annual rainfall for Del Rio.

 

“Explosive flash flooding redeveloped in the city, washing away homes and vehicles near 11:30 pm that evening. San Felipe Creek again rose out of banks, this time rising to several feet deep in homes in a very few minutes. The flood was so rapid that people were cut off in sections of the flood plain and escaped to the roofs of their homes. The Creek, several hundred yards wide in places, moved downstream like a freight train, destroying and pulverizing anything in its path.

 

“Rescues were desperate as neighborhood citizens, the Sheriffs Department, Police Department, Fire Department, Border Patrol agents, DPS, and several law enforcement personnel mobilized rapidly. Dozens of residential blocks of homes were left unrecognizable by the flood wave. Whole blocks of residential areas were left as empty lots, with the asphalt of their streets completely gone, and covered in debris. The scene was comparable to an F4 or F5 tornado. The County Sheriff reported that he and several Border Patrol agents formed a human chain at one point to try to reach a family stranded on the roof of a home in the creek. As they entered the fast flow, the turbulence broke apart their chain, sweeping all of them downstream. Somehow they all survived. In another case, a Sheriff’s deputy lifted a paraplegic lady on his shoulder and waded out of chest high water with her. The powerful, turbulent flow knocked her husband from his feet, and the deputy, with a woman over his shoulder, still was able to reach out and grasp the husband, rescuing him. The fact that only nine drowned in the devastating flood in a testimony to the excellent rescue work by the aforementioned. Six persons remain unaccounted for.

 

“Another area of widespread residential flooding was in the extreme northern part of Del Rio. Poor drainage in a very subtle draw flooded over 10 square blocks of homes up to three to four feet. As the flow moved downstream a mile or two below Highway 90, it swept some mobile homes from their pads.”  (NCDC. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood. Texas. Val Verde. 8/23-24/1998.)

 

Roth, 1998: “A large cluster of thunderstorms, also known as an MCS (mesoscale convective complex) formed just off the Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana coasts on August 15th. This system drifted southeast into the Central Gulf of Mexico by the 19th, with scattered thunderstorms developing each day. On the 20th, an upper level low moved westward to the west of this disturbance, producing a less hostile upper level environment. By the 21st, advisories were initiated by the National Hurricane Center on Tropical Depression Number 3….

 

“This system became Tropical Storm Charley soon after [August 21], moving northwest towards the Texas coast. The upper level low that initiated rapid development moved it more to the north than originally thought. Also, all the deep convection remained on the north side of the circulation center, keeping Charley from becoming a hurricane. It made landfall just after midnight on…[August 22], in the vicinity of Rockport, with sustained winds of 60 mph. The gulf invaded North Padre Island, where seawater reached the dunes. Immediate shoreline roads were closed.

 

“Gusts to tropical storm force were felt across Southwest Louisiana and across the northern 2/3 of the Texas coast. The Port O’Connor Coast Guard reported gusts to 63 mph while the Colorado River Locks in Matagorda County measured gusts to 69 mph. The pressure fell to 29.55 inches at Rockport at 559 a.m. on the 22nd.

 

“As the system moved inland and weakened, rains fell across southern Texas. An observer at the mouth of the San Bernard River in Brazoria County reported 9 inches of rain. Three miles southwest of Refugio, 7.3″ of rain fell. The heaviest rain on the 22nd fell over Southeast Bee and Southwest Refugio County. Amounts up to 11″ were observed. This led to significant flash flooding. Highway 77 near Woodsboro was closed for 36 hours due to one and a half feet of water on the roadway. Homes in the Mission River Oaks subdivision in Woodsboro were flooded. The town of Three Rivers saw water flood cars in the area.

 

“On the night of the 23rd/24th, the dying tropical depression caused another round of heavy rainfall, this time near Del Rio. A total of 11.83″ fell at Del Rio on the 24th, simultaneously breaking the all-time daily and August monthly rainfall records. This August is the wettest month ever at that site. Over 18″ of rain fell in all. Two-thirds of the city went underwater. Four people were reported to be drowned in the flood waters in Real County. So far, 12 lives have been lost in this epic flood in Texas and 3 in Mexico; numerous people are still unaccounted for. Many livestock were lost near Quemado in Maverick County. The Rio Grande is expected to rise to the base of the International Bridge in Laredo and over the International Bridge at Eagle Pass.”  (Roth, NOAA, 1998)

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Five dead in Hill Country flooding.” Paris News, TX, 8-24-1998, 3B. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=112963640&sterm=tropical

 

Associated Press. “Parched South Texas hit by deluge.” Kerrville Daily Times, TX, 8-25-1998, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=115406256&sterm

 

Brazos River Authority. History. “Timeline of the Brazos River Basin.” Website accessed at: http://www.brazos.org/brazosHistory.asp

 

Brownsville Herald, TX. “Floods claim 16 victims.” 8-25-1998, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=185523928&sterm=tropical+storm

 

Daily News, Galveston County, TX. “Del Rio buses students back to public schools.” 9-9-1998, A2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=110105289&sterm

 

Daily News (Steve Mayo), Galveston County, TX. “Isle man dies after month on life-support.” 9-24-1998, A11. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=112924560&sterm

 

Del Rio News-Herald (Fidel Garcia), TX. “Seventh body found.” 8-28-1998, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=111889094&sterm=tropical+storm

 

HurricaneCity.com. “Tropical Storm Charley.” Accessed 4-8-2014 at: http://www.hurricanecity.com/dam/dam1998.htm

 

Locategrave.org. “Grave Record for David Paul Pyatte – Del Rio, Texas (1960 – 1998).” Accessed 4-8-2014 at: http://www.locategrave.org/l/6254158/David-Paul-Pyatte-TX

 

Locategrave.org. “Grave Record for Octaviano Hernandez – Del Rio, Texas (1926-1998).” Accessed 4-8-2014 at: http://www.locategrave.org/l/6367443/Octaviano-Hernandez-TX

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Flash Flood… Texas…Real [county]…8-23-1998. Accessed 4-8-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5666578

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Flash Flood… Texas…Val Verde (county)…8/23-24/1998. Accessed 4-8-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5666648

 

National Weather Service (Avila/Guiney/Lawrence/Mayfield/Pasch/Rappaport). “Monthly Tropical Weather Summary for the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico… Summary of the 1998 Atlantic Hurricane Season…” Miami, FL. 12-1-1998. Accessed 4-8-2014: http://web.archive.org/web/19981205054250/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/pub/forecasts/discussion/MIATWSAT

 

Rappaport, Edward N. Preliminary Report. Tropical Storm Charley, 21-24 August 1998. Miami: National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, NOAA, Dept. of Commerce, 10-23-1998. Accessed 4-8-2014 at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1998charley.html

 

Roth, David (National Weather Service). Texas Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD:  NWS.  1-17-2010 update. Accessed at  http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/txhur.pdf

 

Roth, David. Texas Hurricane History: Late 20th Century. National Weather Service, Weather Service Forecast Office, Lake Charles, LA, NOAA, 1998.  June 23, 2003 modification.  Accessed at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/research/txlate20hur.php

 

San Angelo Standard-Times. “Funerals and Death Notices…Candelario Paredes Jr.,” 9-1-1998. Accessed 4-8-2014 at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/tomgreen/obits/1998/090198.txt

 

 

 

[1] No breakout by country for the fatalities is provided and it is not clear if this includes Mexican fatalities or not.

[2] “The Mexican news agency Notimex reported nine people died in neighboring Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, after they were washed away while trying to cross a normally dry gully holding a rope.”

[3] Notes “All were apparently flood victims located well inland.” Also notes 6 people unaccounted for.

[4] “Galveston – Family members of the island’s 12^th drowning victim this year were making funeral arrangements… for Michael Van Antwerp….Van Antwerp was pronounced dead Tuesday morning [Sep 22] after spending a month on life support…physicians told the family that [he]…was brain dead….Van Antwerp, 31 fell from the fishing pier at the Flagship Hotel on Aug. 21 during Tropical Storm Charley. Lifeguards pulled him ashore about four blocks away.” (Daily News (Steve Mayo), Galveston Co., TX. “Isle man dies after month on life-support.” 9-24-1998, A11)

[5] Newspaper report writes that “The accident occurred at 7:30 a.m. The pickup carrying 18 people was eastbound on the highway as four feet of water covered the road at a low-water crossing, according to the DPS. The truck’s driver stopped and unloaded seven people, then tried to travel through the water, but the vehicle was immediately forced off the road, the DPS said.” (AP. “Five dead in Hill Country flooding.” Paris News, TX, 8-24-1998, 3B.)

[6] AP. “Five dead in Hill Country flooding.” Paris News, TX, 8-24-1998, 3B. Notes evacuation was being carried out amid rising water.

[7] Reference to Border Patrol trainee David Pyatte, “who died while searching for his family,” according to Border Patrol spokeswoman. (AP. “Parched South Texas hit by deluge.” Kerrville Daily Times, TX, 8-25-1998, p. 1.) See, also: Locategrave.org. “Grave Record for David Paul Pyatte – Del Rio, Texas (1960 – 1998).”

[8] Octaviano Hernandez. (Del Rio News-Herald (Garcia), TX. “Seventh body found.” 8-28-1998, 1.) Also: Locategrave.org. “Grave Record for Octaviano Hernandez – Del Rio, Texas (1926-1998).”

[9] One of the 74-year-old male victims was Candelario Paredes, “an amputee who lived at the 200 block of Jones Street.” (Del Rio News-Herald (Fidel Garcia), TX. “Seventh body found.” 8-28-1998, p. 1.) See obituary at: San Angelo Standard-Times. “Funerals and Death Notices…Candelario Paredes Jr.,” 9-1-1998.

–21  Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database. “Bil Mar Foods Ready-to-eat Meats 1998.”

–21  Perl, Peter. “Poisoned Package.” Washington Post. 1-16-2000, p. W08.

–14  Healthline.com. Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Recent U.S. History.

 

Deaths (partial list) from sources below

Colorado                    (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

Florida                        (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

Georgia                      (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

Illinois                         (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

Indiana                       (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

Michigan                    (  1)

–1  Detroit, Nov 22. Female, 56.[1]

Nebraska                    (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

New York                   (  2)

–1  Rochester area. Male, 79.[2]

–1  Upstate NY, Dec 25. Female, 75.[3]

North Carolina          (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

Ohio                            (  6)

–1  Cincinnati.[4]

–1  Columbus, Dec 24. Male, 31.[5]

–2  Columbus, Jan 20, 1999. Premature twins.[6]

–2  Toledo (one a fetus).[7]

Pennsylvania              (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

Tennessee                   (  1)

–1  Memphis, Oct 19. Female, 74.[8]

Virginia                      (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

West Virginia            (>1)

—>1  Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999.

 

Narrative Information

 

CDC, Jan 8, 1999: “From early August 1998 through January 6, 1999, at least 50 illnesses caused by a rare strain of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, serotype 4b, have been reported to CDC by 11 states. Six adults have died and two pregnant women have had spontaneous abortions. Reported illness onset dates were during August 2-December 13, 1998. CDC and state and local health departments have identified the vehicle for transmission as hot dogs and possibly deli meats produced under many brand names by one manufacturer. This report updates the investigation of this outbreak.” (CDC. “Update: Multistate outbreak of Listeriosis — United States, 1998-1999.” MMWR, Vol. 47, No. 51, 1-8-1999, pp. 1117-1118.)

 

“On December 22, the manufacturer, Bil Mar Foods, voluntarily recalled specific production lots of hot dogs and deli meats that might be contaminated. CDC later isolated the outbreak strain of L. monocytogenes from an opened and a previously unopened package of hot dogs manufactured at the company’s plant in Zeeland, Michigan. In addition, a different strain of L. monocytogenes was isolated from unopened packages of deli meats produced at the same plant.

 

“Recalled products bear the establishment numbers EST P261 or EST 6911. The establishment number appears on the outer edge of all packages. The affected products included hot dogs and deli meats with the brand names Ball Park, Bil Mar, Bryan Bunsize, Bryan 3-lb Club Pack, Grillmaster, Hygrade, Mr. Turkey, Sara Lee Deli Meat, and Sara Lee Home Roast brands. Institutions may have received recalled product under other brand names. Packages for the above brand names that carry other establishment numbers are not affected by the recall. Other Sara Lee products that are not meat also are not affected.” (

 

Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database: “Molecular subtyping helped to identify Listeria monocytogenes cases linked to a nationwide outbreak. Cases were eventually identified in 24 states. An initial case-control study implicated meat frankfurters, or hot dogs, as the likely source. A food trace back led to Bil Mar Foods company. The outbreak abruptly ended following a manufacturer issued recall. Illness onsets ranged from January, 1998, to February, 1999. Most illness onsets occurred between August, 1998, and January, 1999. There was evidence that demolition of a refrigeration unit, in early July, 1998, increased environmental contamination in the meat production plant. The same strain of Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from hot dog and deli meat samples from the consumers and from unopened packages. Cooking destroys listeria bacteria; consumers may not have cooked the meats before eating….

 

“Total ill:                     101….

“Number Dead:          21.”

(Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database. “Bil Mar Foods Ready-to-eat Meats 1998.”

 

(Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database. “Bil Mar Foods Ready-to-eat Meats 1998.” Accessed 2017.)

 

Healthline.com: “An outbreak of Listeria from tainted hot dogs affected at least 100 people across 24 states, causing 14 adult deaths and four miscarriages. The contamination affected over nine brands, including Sara Lee Deli Meat. This outbreak spread from Bil Mar Foods’ manufacturing plant in Zeeland, Michigan.” (Healthline.com. Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Recent U.S. History.)

 

Newspapers

 

Dec 24, 1998: “Investigators from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who are looking into an outbreak of food poisoning that has sickened 40 people and killed 4 in 10 states since August have warned consumers on the storing and cooking of hot dogs and cold cuts. The outbreak led to the recall on Tuesday of certain lots of hot dogs and packaged meat produced at the Bil Mar Foods plant in Zeeland, Mich., and sold throughout the United States. Bil Mar is a division of the Sara Lee Corporation.

 

“The culprit, investigators say, is a strain of air and soil-borne bacteria known as Listeria monocytogenes, which is carried in the intestines of animals and can easily come into contact with raw vegetables, dairy products or uncooked meat. It thrives in refrigerators, but can be destroyed by boiling or reheating food to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

“When ingested, Listeria bacteria can cause illness and death among the elderly, pregnant women, newborns and those with weakened immune systems. In a normal year, an estimated 1,850 people become seriously ill. Of these, 425 die.

 

“Three who have died in this outbreak have been elderly. They are a man, 79, from the Rochester area, and two others from Ohio, one from Toledo and one from Cincinnati. The fourth victim, from the Toledo area, was a fetus.

 

“Ohio has had the largest number of cases, 13. New York has had 12. Tennessee, Massachusetts and West Virginia have each had 3. Michigan has had two cases. Connecticut, Oregon, Vermont and Georgia have had one each. The outbreak began on Aug. 2.

 

“Dr. Elizabeth Koch, acting state epidemiologist in Ohio, said the DNA of the bacteria involved in the outbreak showed ”a very rare pattern,” called Pattern E.

 

“Seeking the source, health officials from New York, Connecticut, Ohio and Tennessee worked with the agency to examine the diets of affected patients. Most had eaten cooked hot dogs the month before they became ill.

 

“Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the disease agency, said that on Dec. 19, three days before the Bil Mar recall, investigators isolated this strain of Listeria on an open package of hot dogs that a month earlier had been eaten by one of those who became ill. It is not known how or where this package was contaminated….

 

“Symptoms are those of a flu-like illness, and may include a fever, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea or a stiff neck. A blood test is the most reliable way to diagnose the disease.

 

“To reduce the risks, the disease centers, recommends thoroughly cooking raw food from animal sources, washing raw vegetables, and keeping uncooked meats separate from vegetables. Hands, knives and cutting boards should be washed after coming into contact with uncooked foods….” (NYT/Jo Thomas. “Outbreak of Food Poisoning Leads to Warning on Hot Dogs and Cold Cuts.” 12-24-1998.)

 

Jan 16, 2000: “When 21 people died from eating contaminated meats, it was the nation’s most lethal food safety epidemic in 15 years — and one of the quietest. Why didn’t the U.S. Department of Agriculture blow the whistle sooner on Sara Lee?….

 

“When everything was working perfectly, the 1,600 men and women at the giant Bil Mar Foods meatpacking plant in western Michigan cranked out 1 million pounds of frankfurters and Sara Lee premium deli meats a day, seven days a week. National brands such as Ball Park and Hygrade are produced here, helping make Sara Lee Corp. the largest purveyor of packaged meats in the country and Bil Mar its largest producer.

 

“But everything was not working perfectly at Bil Mar. Looming overhead, above the…[production] belt, was a giant refrigeration unit that kept the plant cold. Bil Mar was a modern, clean facility, but the hot dog area was the oldest part of the plant, and its cooling unit looked like an enormous old car radiator. It had been patched and repaired, yet it continued to leak and cause condensation, a breeding ground for bacteria.

 

“The moisture trouble had gotten so severe that inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture took the rare step of shutting down the plant for several days in November 1997. Management repaired and replaced faulty equipment, reengineered production lines and assigned additional sanitation duties to remedy the problem.

 

“Now it was back. ‘Fluid was dripping onto exposed franks,’ a USDA inspector reported on the morning of March 12, 1998, ‘and these franks were being conveyed down the line to the packing machine.’ A second inspector cited Bil Mar that same day because he found beaded droplets of condensation falling from overhead pipes and the ceiling, landing in the cooked food.

 

“So over the July 4th weekend, during a rare production shutdown, construction workers with chain saws came to tear out the old refrigeration unit. They cut it into pieces small enough so they could haul it out of the plant. Replacing the old unit, plant officials told USDA, should go a long way toward curing the problem.

 

“Indeed, the condensation eased for a while. But another problem emerged: bacteria. The company took weekly swab samples from environmental surfaces such as slicers, conveyors and packing equipment that came in contact with food. During the following six weeks, 11 of 12 samples tested positive for bacteria, compared with only 3 of 12 in the preceding time period. The readings remained high for two more months — until November 1998, when Bil Mar stopped testing altogether.

 

“The plant’s management stepped up its sanitation efforts. Workers put iodine tablets into floor drains, took apart machinery and sprayed surfaces with citric acid and other disinfectants, used hand sanitizers and foot dips on their boots to prevent them from tracking bacteria near the food.

 

“Meanwhile, the condensation persisted. By the end of 1998, USDA inspectors had written up Bil Mar for at least 45 ‘Noncompliance Records’ that specifically cited condensation or water dripping throughout the plant. Each citation carried a standard USDA warning: ‘Further failure to implement effective corrective and preventive actions may result in additional regulatory and administrative actions.’ No such action was taken by USDA — not until it was too late….

 

“By the time it was over, the food poisoning outbreak that originated at Bil Mar had swept across 22 states, killing at least 21 people and seriously sickening at least 100 others from Tucson to Baltimore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was the most lethal case of food-borne illness in the United States in 15 years.

 

“The culprit was Listeria monocytogenes, a rare bacteria that is far less common than its better-known biological cousins — salmonella and E. coli — but far more deadly.

 

“When the listeria outbreak was finally pinpointed by the CDC, Sara Lee officials on December 22, 1998, voluntarily recalled an estimated 35 million pounds of Bil Mar’s hot dogs and deli products. It was possibly the largest meat recall in history — and one of the quietest.

 

“The Bil Mar case attracted relatively little public attention partly because the news media were riveted on the impeachment drama of President Clinton and on the U.S. bombing of Iraq, while the public was additionally preoccupied with the holiday season.

 

“But it was also because the Agriculture Department — in contradiction of its own policies — failed to issue a press release informing the public of the danger, even though the CDC already had reported four deaths. Instead, USDA relied on an announcement issued by Bil Mar that did not mention the full scope of the recall or the dire nature of the illness, let alone the deaths.

 

“As a result, many consumers continued eating Bil Mar products and the death toll climbed — to 14 by January 20, 1999, nearly a month after the recall. That day, after the first lawsuits had been filed against the company on behalf of the victims, Sara Lee took out full-page advertisements in newspapers across the country to further publicize the recall, although these announcements, too, made no mention of the deaths. Finally, on January 28, USDA issued a press release, more than a month after federal officials had first confirmed that eating the contaminated meat could be fatal….

 

“…the Bil Mar outbreak illustrates some crucial weaknesses in USDA’s oversight of another key sector: food-processing plants. A politically powerful industry, a compliant Congress and a timid federal bureaucracy have fashioned a system that still has glaring problems:

 

“Lack of Regulatory Power: Government can order the recall of products like unsafe cars, toys and insecticides — but not food. Health officials must rely on persuading companies to voluntarily recall tainted meat. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman has sought mandatory recall authority in Congress, but has failed partly because of the lobbying clout of the food industry.

 

“Bureaucratic Conflicts: Although one set of government officials at the CDC pinpointed Bil Mar as the source of the outbreak, another set at USDA refused to request a recall. Agriculture officials, worried about the legal implications of wrongly accusing Sara Lee, did not believe the CDC had sufficient evidence to merit a recall. While USDA continued waiting for more than a week for definitive laboratory results, company officials were prodded to act by an angry Minnesota state health official and by the CDC.

 

“Long Delays: While USDA now requires microbial testing in slaughterhouses, it has not yet mandated similar testing for food-processing plants. Even after the 21 deaths, the department has left to companies’ discretion the decision on whether to test, while it researches whether to enact a mandatory rule, a process that will take up to three years.

 

“Lack of Penalties: USDA’s new inspection system, like the old, contains no system of penalties for repeated violations. USDA has sought the power to issue fines and civil penalties from Congress, which has refused. Its only enforcement tool is to shut down plants, an option it rarely uses….

 

Sources

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Update: Multistate outbreak of Listeriosis — United States, 1998-1999.” MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), Vol. 47, No. 51, 1-8-1999, pp. 1117-1118. Accessed 11-10-2017 at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00056169.htm

 

Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database. “Bil Mar Foods Ready-to-eat Meats 1998.” Accessed 11-10-2017 at: http://www.outbreakdatabase.com/details/bil-mar-foods-ready-to-eat-meats-1998/

 

Healthline.com. Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Recent U.S. History. Accessed 11-10-2017 at: https://www.healthline.com/health/worst-foodborne-illness-outbreaks#emlisteriaem5

 

Knight Ridder. “Deaths blamed on tainted meat climb to 9.” Baltimore Sun, 1-15-1999. Accessed 11-11-2017 at: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1999-01-15/news/9901150208_1_sara-lee-listeria-deli-meats

 

New York Times (Jo Thomas). “Outbreak of Food Poisoning Leads to Warning on Hot Dogs and Cold Cuts.” 12-24-1998. Accessed 11-10-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/24/us/outbreak-of-food-poisoning-leads-to-warning-on-hot-dogs-and-cold-cuts.html

 

Perl, Peter. “Poisoned Package.” Washington Post, 1-16-2000, p. W08. Accessed 11-10-2017 at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-01/16/102r-011600-idx.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Washington Post (Peter Perl). “Poisoned Package.” 1-16-2000, p. W08.

[2] NYT/Jo Thomas. “Outbreak of Food Poisoning Leads to Warning on Hot Dogs and Cold Cuts.” 12-24-1998.

[3] Washington Post (Peter Perl). “Poisoned Package.” 1-16-2000, p. W08.

[4] NYT/Jo Thomas. “Outbreak of Food Poisoning Leads to Warning on Hot Dogs and Cold Cuts.” 12-24-1998.

[5] Washington Post (Peter Perl). “Poisoned Package.” 1-16-2000, p. W08.

[6] Washington Post (Peter Perl). “Poisoned Package.” 1-16-2000, p. W08.

[7] NYT/Jo Thomas. “Outbreak of Food Poisoning Leads to Warning on Hot Dogs and Cold Cuts.” 12-24-1998.

[8] Washington Post (Peter Perl). “Poisoned Package.” 1-16-2000, p. W08.

—  3  Harris, Mike.  “Three Fans Killed in Auto Race Crash,” Associated Press, July 27, 1998.

—  3  St. Petersburg Times. “Major Incidents of Fan Deaths,” June 11, 2005.

 

Narrative Information

 

Harris: “Brooklyn, Mich. (AP)—A crash at the U.S. 500 auto race hurled a tire and other car parts into the grandstand Sunday, killing three spectators and injuring six others.  It was the first time in more than a decade that spectators were killed in an accident in a major auto race.  Dr. Gregory Baumann, the chief medical director at Michigan Speedway, said two people died instantly from the impact of the debris.  A third person later died at one of the track’s medical units…” (Harris, Mike. “Three Fans Killed in Auto Race Crash,” Associated Press, 7-27-1998.)

 

St. Petersburg Times. “July 26, 1998: Three spectators are killed and six others injured at the CART U.S. 500 at Michigan International Speedway when Adrian Fernandez’s car crashes, hurtling a tire and other car parts into the grandstand in Turn 4….. The safety fences at the high-banked 2-mile oval are extended before the next race, a NASCAR event in August.” (St. Petersburg Times. “Major Incidents of Fan Deaths,” June 11, 2005.)

 

Sources

 

Harris, Mike. “Three Fans Killed in Auto Race Crash,” Associated Press, 7-27-1998. Accessed at: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P1-19564049.html

 

St. Petersburg Times, FL. “Major Incidents of Fan Deaths.” 6-11-2005. Accessed at: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/06/11/Sports/Major_incidents_of_fa.shtml

 

 

—  435  Blanchard tally based on State breakouts below.

—  375  CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

–>200  Allaby (ed.). Weather and Climate: An Illustrated Guide to Science. 2006, 82.

—  200  Lott/Ross. “Tracking…U.S. Billion Dollar Weather Disasters, 1980-2005.” 10-27-05.

—  173  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

—    39  Young children in vehicles. Jan Null. U.S. Child Vehicular Heatstroke Deaths.

—    21  OSHA noted deaths of workers on the job.

 

Summary of State Heat-Related Fatalities

 

Alabama           7

Arizona          74

Arkansas          2

California       32

Delaware          1

Florida            18

Georgia          10

Illinois             18

Kansas              3

Kentucky         1

Louisiana       45

Maryland         2

Mississippi      12

Missouri         11

New Hamp.      1

New Mexico     4

No. Carolina    9

Oklahoma      32

Oregon             1

Pennsylvania  17

So. Carolina   13

Tennessee         2

Texas            120

 

Breakout of 1998 Heat-Related Fatalities by State

 

Alabama         (  7)

— 7  AL DPH. “Health precautions urged during periods of prolonged heat.” 11-7-2006 mod.[1]

— 3  Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

— 2  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of fatalities by locality:

— 1  Chunchula, Mobile County, July 1. Heatstroke. Male welding and cutting worker. OSHA.

— 1  Escambia County, Atmore, June 29. Female, 68, in closed up house with no AC. NCDC.[2]

— 1  Mobile, June 22. Boy, 3, heatstroke; left in day care center all day; heat index of ~105°.[3]

 

Arizona          (74)

–30  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

–74  AZ DHS. Deaths from Exposure to Excessive Natural Heat…in Arizona…. 2010, p. 17.[4]

Breakout of AZ Heat Deaths by State or Country of Residence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–49  Arizona

–12  Other U.S. States or Canada

–13  Mexico or other Central or South American country

Breakout of AZ Heat Deaths by Geographic Region of Occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p15):

–24  Border counties

–40  Central Arizona counties

–10  Northern Arizona counties

Breakout of AZ Heat Deaths by Gender (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–62  Male

–12  Female

Breakout of AZ Heat Deaths by Race/Ethnicity (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–40  White non-Hispanic

–29  Hispanic or Latino

—  2  Black or African American

—  2  American Indian or Alaska Native

—  1  Unknown

Breakout of AZ Heat Deaths by Age Group (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

—  1  0-4

—  0  5-9

—  0  10-14

—  8  15-19

—  5  20-24

—  5  25-29

—  1  30-34

—  9  35-39

—  6  40-44

—  7  45-49

—  4  50-54

—  4  55-59

—  2  60-64

—  4  65-69

—  5  70-74

—  4  75-79

—  1  80-84

—  4  85+

—  4  Unknown

Breakout of AZ Heat Deaths by County of Occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 16):

—  1  Cochise

—  3  La Paz

–37  Maricopa[5]

–10  Mohave

–11  Pima

—  1  Santa Cruz

–11  Yuma

Breakout of AZ Heat Deaths by Month of Occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 16):

—  7  June

–33  July

–26  August

—  8  September

 

Arkansas        (  2) 

— 2  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.”

— 2  Little Flock area, April 25. Vicky Crisp/Fraley, 16-mo. and Sydney Pippen, 4-mo., in car.[6]

 

California       (32)

–32  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

—  7  Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.

—  3  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of fatalities by locality:

— 1  Calexico, Imperial County, July 18. Heatstroke; male irrigation pipe layer. OSHA.

— 1  Central San Joaquin Valley, July 28. Male 16, HS football practice. NCDC SED.

— 1  Kerman, Sep 5. Heatstroke; male vineyard worker; weather “extremely hot.” OSHA.

— 1  Kern Deserts; body found on July 24 (earlier death). Male, 86, permanent home.[7]

— 1  Kern Deserts, Inyokern/Ridgecrest area, Aug 4. Male, 47, outdoors. NCDC SED.

— 1  Salinas, Monterey County, July 16. Heat exhaustion; male farm worker. OSHA.

— 1  Wasco, Kern Co., June 19. Heat exhaustion (autopsy suggestion); male farm laborer.[8]

 

Delaware        (  1) 

— 1  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.”

— 1  New Castle County, Wilmington, June 25-26. Female, 84, location noted as “Other.”[9]

 

Florida            (18) 

–18  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

–15  Lushine (NWS). “Underreporting of Heat and Cold Related Deaths in Florida.” 2009.[10]

—  9  Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

—  4  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.”

Breakouts by Locality:

—  1  Fort Lauderdale, June. Heatstroke, male, after being found unconscious in lawn chair.[11]

—  1  Hollywood, June. Male, 85, after turning off AC; doors and windows closed.[12]

—  1  Lee County, Ft. Myers, June 3. Girl, 11-months; left unattended; unventilated room, no AC.[13]

—  1  Lee County, North Ft. Myers, June 13. Male, 46, in back of closed van. NCDC.[14]

—  1  Lee County, North Ft. Myers, June 24. Male, 44, in enclosed parked van in No. Ft. Myers.[15]

—  1  Orange Co., Apopka, June 18. Disposal “Employee Is Killed From Heat Stress.” OSHA.

—  1  Pembroke Pines, South Florida State Hospital, June. Male, 50, in car on hosp. grounds.[16]

—  1  Sarasota County, Sarasota, July 25. Heatstroke; male migrant field worker. OSHA.

—  1  Volusia Co., June 24. Male, 38, found unconscious next to bike; body temp of 111° at hosp.[17]

 

Georgia          (10)

–10  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

—  1  Norristown, May 23 (died 28^th). Heatstroke; laborer unloading I-beams from truck. OSHA.

 

Illinois             (18)

–18  State. National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

–10  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

–10  Cook Co., June 26-29. NCDC. Event Record Details, Excessive Heat, Illinois, 24 Jun 1998.

–Females, 56, 68, 72, 74, 80, 93; males 57, 77, 87; all at home; male, 39, at a business.

—  2  Cook County, July 1-2. Males, 55 and 75, permanent homes. NCDC Storm Events Data.

—  3  Cook Co., July 14-15. Female, 40; males, 55 and 75, all in permanent homes. NCDC SED.

—  1  Peoria County, Peoria, June 27. Female, 82, in her home. NCDC Storm Events Database.

—  1  St. Clair County, East St. Louis, June 23-30. Male, 71, permanent home.[18]

—  1  Williamson County, Johnston City, June 22-29. Male, 83, in his apt., body temp. of 110°.[19]

 

Kansas            (  3)

— 3  Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.

— 2  National Weather Service, NOAA.  “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Butler County, Towanda, Aug 17 (died 18^th). Male, 15, football practice. NCDC SED.

— 1  Sedgwick Co., Wichita, July 17. Male residential construction worker, digging footings.[20]

— 1  Sedgwick County, Wichita SE HS, Aug 17. Male, 17, football practice. NCDC SED.

 

Kentucky       (  1)

— 1  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Daviess County, June 22-29. Male, 47, while mowing his lawn during late afternoon.[21]

 

Louisiana       (45)

–45  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

–41  NYT. “41 Heat-Related Deaths in Louisiana Nearly Double Old Record.” 8-18-1998.[22]

–27  Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.

–26  Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Death Toll Stands at 132 as Heat Parboils Nation.” 7-23-1998.

–20  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

—  1  Bossier Parish, Bossier City, May 18, 15:00. Female, 36, working as seamstress in her apt.[23]

—  1  Bossier Parish, May 18, 16:00. Male, 68, heatstroke, cutting hay / fertilizing in his field.[24]

—  3  Bossier Parish, June 1-30. Males, 70, 79, 85, in permanent homes.  NCDC Storm Events.

—  2  Bossier Parish, July 1-31. Females, 87 and 95, both in permanent homes. Storm Events.

—  1  Bossier Parish, Bossier City, July 29 (body found). Prince Batton, 65, home with no AC.[25]

–15  Caddo Parish. CDC Wonder ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

—  6  Caddo Parish, June 1-30. Females, 55, 84, 89; males 84, 86; all in homes; male, 56, outside.[26]

—  6  Caddo Parish, July 1-30. Females, 72, 84, 84; male, 84, in homes; males, 58, 60, outside.[27]

—  1  Jefferson Parish, Avondale, July 29. Male shipbuilding and repair worker. Heat-related.[28]

—  1  Sabine Parish, Florien, ~July 7 (body found July 28). Mary Faye Eason, 63, home, no AC.[29]

–28  Shreveport area. NYT. “41 Heat-Related Deaths in Louisiana…Double…” 8-18-1998.[30]

—  1  Terrebonne Parish, June 19. Male shrimper, 69, heat exhaustion sorting his catch at dock.[31]

—  1  Webster Parish, Springhill, May 30. Heat stress; male construction laborer. OSHA.[32]

 

Maryland       (  2)  NWS, NOAA.  “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Baltimore, July 21. Heat exposure; male, 47, working at steel plant near shipyards.[33]

— 1  Baltimore, July 20-23. Heat exposure; male, 51, in his home, no AC. NCDC SED.

 

Mississippi      (12)

–12  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

—  1  Columbia, June 24. Heat exhaustion; paving company worker sealing a parking lot. OSHA.

 

Missouri         (  11) 

–11  MO Dept. of Health and Senior Services. “Hyperthermia Mortality, Missouri, 1980-2013.”

—  5  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of Missouri Heat-Related Fatalities by Locality:

—  1  Greene Co., Springfield, July 21. Excessive heat, female, 70, permanent home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Jackson County, Kansas City, July 16-21. Female, 89, permanent home.[34]

—  3  St. Louis County, June 23-30. Males, 87 and 92; female, 90; all in permanent homes.[35]

—  1  Locality and date not noted. Heatstroke; girl, 4, got into vehicle while playing.[36]

 

New Hampshire (1)

— 1  Nashua, June 24 (died June 26). Heat stress; male, 19, 1^st day landscaping worker. OSHA.

 

New Mexico   (    4)

— 4  Gallup, July 13. Children aged 2-5 found inside closed trunk of car, outdoor temp. 90° F.[37]

 

North Carolina ( 9)

— 9  Mirabelli/Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina,” AJPH, 4-2005, Figure 1.

— 2  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of fatalities by locality below (where noted):

— 1  Autryville, Triton High School, Aug 8 (died Aug 9). Max Draughon, 17, football practice.[38]

— 2  Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, June 29. Male, 71, wife, 90, home; home AC failed.[39]

 

Oklahoma      (   32)

–32  Garwe (OK Dept Health). “Heat-Related Deaths, Oklahoma, 1990-2001,” 5-31-2002, p.1.[40]

–24  State. National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

–16  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

—  1  Canadian Co., Del City, June 21. Male, 76, in his home (found on June 29). NCDC SED.

—  1  Carter County, Gene Autry, Aug 5. Male, 76 found dead in his home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Choctaw Co., Hugo, July 15. Male, 86, dehydration and heat. NCDC Storm Events Database.

—  1  Jackson County, Altus, July 17. Excessive heat, male, 79, in his home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Logan County, Mulhall, July 10. Male, 79, found dead in his mobile home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Logan County, Guthrie, July 19. Excessive heat; female, 55, in her home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Logan County, Guthrie, July 21. Excessive heat; female, 78, home with no AC.[41]

—  1  Oklahoma Co., Oklahoma City, June 21 (body found). Female, 81, her home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Oklahoma County, Del City, June 29 (found dead). Male, 76, in his home. NCDC. SED.

—  1  Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, July 9. Male, 46, found dead in hotel room, no AC.[42]

—  1  Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, July 9. Male, 73, found dead in his home. NCDC SED,

—  1  Oklahoma Co., Oklahoma City, July 19. Excessive heat, male, in his vehicle. NCDC SED.

—  1  Oklahoma Co., Oklahoma City, July 19. Excessive heat; female, 78; her apt. NCDC SED.

—  1  Oklahoma Co., Oklahoma City, July 27. Excessive heat; male, 61, in home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, July 30. Female, 62, in her home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, Aug 2. Male, 53, found dead in his home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, Aug 3. Male, 82, found dead in his home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, Sep 4. Male, 76, outside retirement home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Okmulgee County, Henryetta, July 30. Hyperthermia; female, 39. Storm Events Database.[43]

—  1  Seminole County, Wewoka, July 11. Female, 51, found dead in her home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Seminole County, Cromwell, July 27. Excessive heat; male, 67, in his home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Stephens County, Duncan, July 20. Excessive heat; female, 78, in her home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Tulsa Co., Broken Arrow, July 6-20. Heatstroke, male, 63. NCDC Storm Events Database.

—  1  Tulsa Co., Tulsa, June 26 (heatstroke collapse, died July 13). Male, 40. NCDC SED.

—  1  Tulsa County, Tulsa, July 10. Male, 40; heatstroke near 800 S. Boulder Ave, downtown.[44]

—  1  Tulsa County, Tulsa, July 6-20. Heatstroke, male, 40. NCDC Storm Events Database.

—  1  Wichita County, Wichita Falls, July 3. Male, 75, found dead in his home. NCDC SED.

 

Oregon           (  1)  NWS, NOAA.  “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Portland, July 28. Heat exhaustion; female, 64, at hospital. NCDC Storm Events Database.

 

Pennsylvania (17) 

–17  Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.

–15  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

—  2  Greene County, Aug 2. Brothers, 2 and 5, found dead in trunk of parents’ car at home.[45]

—  1  Montgomery Co., Pennsburg, June 25-26. Male, 75, found dead in motel room, no AC.[46]

—  1  Montgomery County, July 21-23. Female, 21-months, inadvertently left in car overnight.[47]

—  2  Montgomery Co., July 21-23. Male, 88, in a home; no data for other death. NCDC SED.

—  1  Philadelphia, June 20-21. Male, 73, in home with no AC and windows shut. NCDC SED.

—  2  Philadelphia, June 25-26. Female, 65, permanent home; female, 80, “other.” NCDC SED.

—  8  Philadelphia, July 20-23. Female, 61, at home; females 53, 76, 84; males 46, 50, 77, 79.[48]

 

So. Carolina   (13) 

–13  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

—  3  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

—  2  Elgin, Kershaw County, July 2. Heat stress; male, 84, female, 63, mobile home, no AC.[49]

—  1  North Charleston, June 1-30. Female, 83, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Data.

 

Tennessee       ( 2)

— 2  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

–1  Knox County, June 27 (body found). Male, 78, permanent home. NCDC.[50]

–1  Knox County, June 28 (body found). Female, 88, permanent home. NCDC.[51]

 

Texas       (   120)

—  120  NOAA. “Summer Forecast – Hot! NOAA, CDC Work to Save Lives from…Heat.”

—  110  Allaby, Michael (ed.). Weather and Climate: An Illustrated Guide to Science. 2006, 82.

–>100  NYT. “41 Heat-Related Deaths in Louisiana Nearly Double Old Record.” 8-18-1998.

—    98  State. CDC WONDER ICD-9/E900 (Excessive heat-hyperthermia) search 8-30-2016.

—    87  Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Death Toll Stands at 132 as Heat Parboils Nation.” 7-23-1998.

—    73  Blanchard tally of 1998 Texas heat fatalities by locality as noted below:

—    66  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1998 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

—    47  Immigrants entering TX from Mexico. Heat-related Illnesses.[52]

Breakout of 1998 Texas Heat-Related Fatalities by Locality:

— 1  Angelina County, June 1-30. Female, 82, permanent home. Storm Events Database.[53]

— 5  Angelina Co., July 1-31. Males 75, 76, 80; female, 74, homes; male, 46, outside. NCDC SED.

— 1  Bexar County, San Antonio, July 17. Heatstroke; male temporary laborer, “very hot day.”[54]

— 1  Dallas County, Cedar Hill State Park, June 1. Male, 23; hyperthermia. Storm Events Data.

— 1  Dallas Co., June 17. Girl, 2, “after being accidently left in a closed vehicle.” NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., east Dallas, July 3. Female, 85, hyperthermia/hypertension, at home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, NW Dallas, July 5. Male, 70, hyperthermia, in his home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, east Dallas, July 8. Female, 63, hyperthermia, in her home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., Lancaster, July 9. Female, 80, hyperthermia; heart disease contributing. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., Irving, July 10. Male, 83, hyperthermia; Parkinson’s contributing factor. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, east Dallas, July 12. Hyperthermia; male, 59, in boarding house. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., SE Dallas, July 12, Hyperthermia/heart disease contributing; male, 37, in home.[55]

— 1  Dallas Co., Dallas, Oak Lawn neighborhood, July 12. Hyperthermia; female, 82. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., Dallas, Pleasant Grove neighborhood, July 12. Male, 58, in home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., Dallas, Pleasant Grove neighborhood, July 12. Hyperthermia, female, 64. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., Dallas, Pleasant Grove neighborhood, July 12. Hyperthermia, male, 83. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., east Dallas, July 13. Hyperthermia, heart disease contributing; female, 85, home.[56]

— 1  Dallas County, Dallas, Oak Lawn neighborhood, July 13. Hyperthermia; male, 62, in field.[57]

— 1  Dallas County, south Dallas, July 15. Hyperthermia; female, 80, in her home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, Garland, July 16. Hyperthermia; male, 64, in his home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, Lancaster, July 16. Hyperthermia; female, 90, in her home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, Irving, July 17. Hyperthermia; male, 75, in his home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., Dallas, Knox-Henderson area; July 19. Hyperthermia; female, 83. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Co., Dallas, Fair Park, July 19. Hyperthermia; female, 67, in her home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, south Dallas, July 20. Hyperthermia; male, 76, in his home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas Count, Pleasant Grove area, July 28. Hyperthermia; female, 98, in her home. SED.

— 1  Dallas County, east Dallas, July 29. Hyperthermia; male 48, found in home, died in hosp.[58]

— 1  Dallas Co., Aug 3. Hyperthermia and high blood pressure; female, 67, in her home. SED.

— 1  Dallas County, Dallas, Aug 4. Hyperthermia; male, 44, found on street, died in hospital.[59]

— 1  Dallas County golf course, Aug 4. Hyperthermia and heart disease; male, 77. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, Aug 7. Hyperthermia and cirrhosis; male, age unknown. NCDC SED.

— 1  Dallas County, Aug 13. Hyperthermia, heart disease, high blood pressure; male, 86, home.[60]

— 1  Denton County, Denton, July 3. Male, 34, hyperthermia; collapsed while working on roof.[61]

— 2  Denton County, Sanger, July 12. Male, 85, wife, 80, in their home. NCDC Storm Events Data.

— 1  Denton Co., July 14. Hyperthermia contributing factor; male, 76, in his home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Harris Co., May 9. Male, 47, heat exposure, doing construction work in warehouse. NCDC SED.

— 1  Harris Co., June 9. Male, 17. Excessive heat from playing basketball outdoors. NCDC SED.

— 1  Harris County, Houston, July 11. Heat exhaustion; male landscaping employee. OSHA.

— 1  Harris County, July 13. Male, 76, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat.

— 1  Harris County, July 14. Male, 56, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat.

— 1  Harris County, July 15. Male, 36, “deceased lived in a metal shed.” Storm Events Database.

— 1  Harris County, July 21. Male, 47, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat.

— 1  Harris County, July 26. Male, 70, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat.

— 1  Harris County, July 27. Male, 74, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat.

— 2  Harris County, July 29. Females, 39 and 76, permanent homes. NCDC Storm Events Data.

— 1  Harris County, Aug 2. Female, 37, outdoors. NCDC Storm Events Data. Heat, TX, Harris.

— 1  Harris County, Aug 2, 20:30. Female, 90, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Database.

— 1  Harris County, Aug 3, 02:31. Male, 43, outdoors. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat, TX.

— 1  Harris Co., Aug 3, 08:15. Male, 78, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat.

— 1  Harris County, Aug 3, 18:30. Male, 78, permanent home, AC didn’t work. NCDC SED.

— 3  Harris Co., Aug 5. Females, 63 and 64; male, 72, permanent homes. NCDC Storm Events.

— 1  Harris County, Aug 6. Male, 64, permanent home without air conditioning. Storm Events.

— 1  Hill County, June 19. Girl, 2, left in vehicle. NCDC Storm Events Database, Heat, TX.[62]

— 1  Jefferson County, Port Neches, June 17. Heat exhaustion; construction worker. OSHA.

— 1  Jim Wells Co., Alice, June 18. Masonry worker falls from scaffold “due to heat-related causes.”[63]

— 1  Kaufman Co., July 14. Hyperthermia contributing factor; male, 75, at home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Starr County, Falcon Heights, May 7. Heatstroke; male oil rig worker. OSHA.

— 1  Starr Co., Rio Grande City, May 7. Heatstroke; male farm worker harvesting melons. OSHA.

— 1  Tarrant Co., Fort Worth, July 15. Hyperthermia contributing factor; male, 81. NCDC SED.

— 1  Tarrant County, Fort Worth, July 16. Male, 39, outside, working on his car. NCDC SED.

— 1  Tarrant Co., Fort Worth, July 26. Hyperthermia contributing factor; female, 87, in home.[64]

— 1  Tarrant Co., Fort Worth, July 28. Hyperthermia contributing factor; female, 80, in home.[65]

— 1  Wichita County, Wichita Falls, July 3. Male, 75, in his house. NCDC Storm Events Data.

— 1  Wichita County, Wichita Falls, July 14. Male, 74, found dead in his home. NCDC SED.

— 1  Williamson County, Round Rock, Sep 3. Heatstroke; male construction worker. OSHA.

 

Utah    ( 5)

— 5  West Valley City, Aug 8. Girls, aged 2-6, found dead inside trunk of car of one of parents.[66]

 

Narrative Information:

Overall:

 

NCDC: “In 1998, heat was the #1 killer with 173 fatalities, more than twice the number (81) reported in 1997. Most of these deaths occurred in Texas (66), Oklahoma, (24), Louisiana (20) Illinois (18) and Pennsylvania (15) in June and July. In 1998, heat related injuries totaled 633, up nearly 20% from 1997. Seniors are most at risk, with those between 60 and 90 years old accounting for 63% of the year’s fatalities. Males accounted for 58% of the fatalities and females 40%. As in the past, most related deaths (118) occurred in homes without air conditioning or adequate ventilation. Those most at risk had a contributing health ailment aggravated by the heat.” (NCDC, NOAA. 1998 Heat Related Fatalities.)

 

Southwest Border States

 

Branigin: “…By most accounts, the trek [across Mexican border into U.S.] has grown more treacherous in recent years, with rising death tolls along certain stretches of border. The danger attracted national attention last summer [1998]. Scores of undocumented immigrants died of heat stroke in deserts on the U.S. side as temperatures soared above 100 degrees day after day. But an equal number of people drowned in the waterways that separate the United States from Mexico, the Immigration and Naturalization Service said. The deaths stem in part from a U.S. border strategy aimed at pushing illegal crossers away from urban centers, where they can blend in with the local populace, and toward more remote areas where they risk prolonged exposure to the elements in much rougher terrain….

 

“…U.S. officials and Illegal immigrants also blame many deaths on professional alien smugglers, who have assumed a growing role in the cross-border traffic because of the increased

difficulty of evading the Border Patrol’s beefed-up forces and high-tech detection equipment. Smugglers have been accused of guiding people into hazardous areas and abandoning them, or overloading makeshift rafts for the short but often risky trip across the Rio Grande.

 

“According to the INS, 254 people died trying to cross the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border in fiscal 1998, the first year in which the agency systematically compiled such statistics. Of the total, a third drowned, while another third died from heat exposure. The highest number of fatalities was recorded in California’s El Centre Border Patrol sector, where 83 illegal immigrants perished in the desert or drowned in the deceptively swift-flowing All American Canal, which runs along 82 miles of border in Imperial Valley. The five sectors that span the Texas border along the Rio Grande from El Paso to McAllen accounted for 100 deaths, 43 percent of the total. More than 40 percent of the victims were never identified, U.S. officials said….

 

“The Mexican Embassy in Washington says 368 migrants died trying to cross the border last year, 78 of them on the Mexican side. In a recent study, ‘Death at the Border,’ the University of Houston’s Center for Immigration Research documented more than 1,600 ‘possible immigrant fatalities’ along the Southwestern border from 1993 to 1997. Nearly 600 of them were ‘Rio Grande drowning deaths’ that were reported by Mexican sources but not tallied in the United States, the report said….” (Branigin, William, Washington Post. “Death at the border.” Hutchinson News, KS. 2-21-1999, C7.)

Delaware:

 

NCDC, June 25-26: “A two day hot spell brought some of the highest temperatures of the summer to the Delmarva Peninsula and ended abruptly with severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon and early evening of the 26th. The excessive heat caused the death of an 84-year-old Wilmington woman. The highest temperatures occurred on the 26th and included 95 degrees in Greenwood and Georgetown (both Sussex County), 94 degrees in Bridgeville (Sussex County) and Wilmington (New Castle County) and 93 degrees at the New Castle County Airport.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Delaware, New Castle, June 25-26, 1998.)

 

Florida:

 

NCDC: “A deep high pressure ridge persisted across the Gulf of Mexico and Florida throughout most of the June and into early July. It resulted in several long stretches of record breaking high temperatures. Melbourne had 22 days, Orlando had 12 days and Daytona Beach had 13 days where high temperature records were either tied or broken. Melbourne had four 100 degree or greater days. Orlando had three and Daytona Beach had nine. It was also very dry during this period. Melbourne received only 3 percent of its normal rainfall. Orlando received 22 percent and Daytona received 14 percent. On June 24th a 38 year old Orlando man was found unconscious on the ground next to his bicycle. He was taken to an emergency room where his body temperature was measured at 111 degrees. He died at 2:58 pm.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Volusia, June 1-30, 1998.)

 

Illinois:

 

NCDC, June 24-29, Cook County: “Daytime temperatures were in the lower to middle 90s with dewpoints in the 70s on the 24th and 25th, producing heat indices of 102 to 107. Thunderstorms brought some relief from the heat on the 26th, though humidity was still high. The heat returned on the 27th with a peak heat index of 107. The 28th was a little cooler with the heat index in the middle to upper 90s. Ten heat-related deaths were reported in Cook County as a result of the heat. The deaths occurred from the 26th to the 29th. Two more deaths occurred in early July as a result of this heat wave.” (NCDC/NOAA. Event Record Details, Excessive Heat, Illinois, 24 June 1998.)

 

NCDC, June 26-28, Central IL: “A hot and humid airmass built in across Central Illinois late in June. High temperatures on June 26th and 27th climbed into the middle and upper 90s. This combined with the high humidity values produced heat indices of 105 to 110 degrees at times. Several heat related illnesses were reported in area hospitals due to the heat. One death was reported in Peoria and was confirmed to be heat related as a woman died in her home on June 27th. Also, several highways in the area had sections of roadway buckle due to the excessive heat.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Peoria, June 26-28, 1998.)

 

Louisiana:

 

NCDC: “June 1998 suffered prolonged and excessively high temperatures throughout the month making it the 3rd hottest on record. The average monthly temperature was 84.9 degrees Fahrenheit (F) which was 5.5 degrees above normal. This was beat only by 85.8 degrees F. in 1881 and 85.4 degrees F in 1875. The average maximum temperature was 96.0 degrees F. (normal is 89.7) and the average minimum was 73.7 degrees F. (normal is 69.0 degrees). The highest was 102 degrees F. on the 1st and 14th. Record high temperatures were set on the 1st, 13th, and 14th with record high minimum temperatures tied or broken on the 3rd, 14th, 18th, and 19th.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Bossier, June 1-30, 1998.)

 

Maryland

 

NCDC, July 20-23: “After an unusually pleasant start to the month, a singular heat wave affected much of Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay during the climatological peak of highest annual temperatures. The heat wave, caused by the combination of hot and humid air associated with “Bermuda” high pressure and increasingly dry ground, caused temperatures to soar into the mid and upper 90s. The heat index, however, equalled or exceeded 100 each afternoon. Highest temperatures were recorded in the Baltimore metropolitan region, with 99 degrees on the 22nd at Baltimore/Washington International Airport. This heat wave was less tolerable than those in recent years since much of the summer had been cooler and less humid than normal.

 

“Two deaths were reported by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner – both in Baltimore City. One of the fatalities, a 47 year-old male, resulted from exposure (likely heat stroke) while working at the Bethlehem Steel plant near the shipyards. A 51 year-old male was found dead in his un-air conditioned home on South Parish Street.

 

“There were numerous cases of heat exhaustion, some requiring a brief hospital stay for observation. At least 12 persons checked into medical facilities in Anne Arundel Co (MDZ014) with heat exhaustion. A bigger outbreak of heat-related sickness occurred during the evening of the 20th, when 16 teenagers were treated after attending a scouting convention at the University of Maryland’s Cole Field House in College Park (MDZ013). Four of the teens were hospitalized; two of them suffered heat stroke. The event was attended by 4,000 persons at the un-air conditioned hall on one of the hottest days of the summer. The problems were noted roughly between 1945EST and 2015EST.

 

“During the three-day episode, another 30 to 44 persons were treated for heat exhaustion in the county, and there were perhaps a dozen incidents of heart attacks which may have been heat-related.

 

“In Bethesda (MDZ009), a 37 year-old male perished after sustaining cardiac arrest (1420EST) following a 213-ft. climb up an inoperable escalator at a subway station. The heat may have been a contributing factor, though the escalators are partially enclosed in air-conditioned tunnels.

 

“The heat wave and attendant power usage allowed daily wattage to surpass previous records in the Baltimore Gas and Electric service area; an all-time record of 6,016 megawatts was used on the 22nd.” (NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, St. Mary’s, July 20-23, 1998.)

 

Oklahoma

 

NCDC: “Excessive heat and drought conditions affected western and central Oklahoma as well as western portions of north Texas from May through early October with the most intense heat and severe drought conditions occurring from mid-June through early September across central and southern Oklahoma and western portions of north Texas. The heat and drought was less severe across northwest and north central Oklahoma. In total, there were 21 fatalities and at least 5 injuries directly related to the heat. Agricultural losses are estimated at nearly 2 billion dollars for Oklahoma and 2.1 billion dollars for Texas. Sixty of Oklahoma’s 77 counties and all of Texas’s counties were declared federal disaster areas.

 

“Excessive heat and drought began in May, intensified in July and August, and diminished in September and early October. Oklahoma City experienced it’s 6th warmest and 16th driest May on record, while Wichita Falls experienced it’s 3rd warmest and 3rd driest May on record. Heat and drought conditions escalated after June 11th, which was the last day of widespread rainfall across western and central Oklahoma and western portions of north Texas until early September. The heat and drought then ended in early October when widespread rain and cooler temperatures returned to the southern plains.

 

“The first fatality directly related to the heat occurred on June 21st , when an 81 year-old woman was found dead in her house in Oklahoma City (Canadian County). A 76 year-old man was then found dead in his Del City home on June 29th. The heat claimed 17 lives in July. The first occurred in Wichita Falls (Wichita County) on July 3rd, when a 75 year-old man was found dead in his home. Four heat related fatalities occurred between the 9th and the 11th. Two persons died on the 9th. A 46 year-old man was found dead in a hotel room in Oklahoma City with no air conditioning. The temperature in the room was 115 degrees. A 73 year-old man was then found dead in his Oklahoma City home. On July 10th , a 79 year-old man was found dead in his mobile home in Mulhall (Logan County). Another heat related fatality occurred on the 11th, when a 51 year-old woman was found dead in her home in Wewoka (Seminole County). The second and last report of a heat related fatality in western portions of north Texas occurred on the 14th, when a 74 year-old man was found dead in his Wichita Falls home.

 

“On July 17th, in Altus (Jackson County, Oklahoma), a 79 year-old man was found dead in his home, while on the 19th, there were 3 heat related deaths reported. The first fatality occurred to a man of unknown age. He was found dead in his vehicle in Oklahoma City. The second fatality occurred in Guthrie (Logan County) when a 55 year-old man was found dead in his house, while the 3rd fatality occurred to a 78 year-old woman when she was found dead in her Oklahoma City apartment. On July 20th, a 78 year-old woman was found dead in her Duncan (Stephens County) home, while on the 21st, another 78 year-old woman was found dead in her home, this time in Guthrie (Logan County). Two persons died in their homes from the heat on the 27th, the first, a 61 year-old man from Oklahoma City, the second, a 67 year-old man found from Cromwell (Seminole County). The last heat related fatality occurred on the 30th, when a 62 year-old woman was found dead in her Oklahoma City home.

 

“Three heat related fatalities were reported in August. The first occurred on the 2nd when a 53 year-old man was found dead inside his Oklahoma City home. The second heat related fatality occurred on the 3rd, when an 82 year-old man was found dead inside his Oklahoma City home. The last heat related fatality in August occurred on the 5th in Gene Autry (Carter County) when a 76 year-old man was found dead inside his home. Only one heat related fatality was reported in September, and occurred on the 4th. A 76 year-old man was found dead outside of a retirement home in Oklahoma City. He was found after he went for a walk and did not return.

 

“Only 5 heat related injuries were reported during the 5 month-long heat and drought. Two persons from Wichita Falls were treated for heat related injuries on June 2nd at United Regional Health Care. Three troop members from Fort Sill (Comanche County) were rushed to a local hospital on July 22nd and treated for heat related injuries as well.

 

“Statistics provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Agriculture indicate economic losses of approximately 2 billion dollars to the state’s agriculture business. Figures were not available for individual counties. Hay and cotton crops were particularly hard hit. Hay producers harvested only 30 to 80 percent of the normal yield, a loss of perhaps 80 million dollars. Cotton production was reduced by about 70 percent, a loss of 38 million dollars. Other crops such as grain sorghum, peanuts and soybeans also suffered major losses. In total, crop losses across Oklahoma were near 500 million dollars, but because of the multiplying effect on the overall economy, this figure is more like 2 billion dollars when considering the effect on the state’s economy. Agricultural losses across Texas total about 2.1 billion dollars with no specific statistics available on a county-by-county basis, however cotton losses are expected to contribute significantly to the total loss.

 

“The summer of 1998 (June-August) was the 4th hottest and 5th driest in Oklahoma City on record, and the 2nd hottest and 7th driest in Wichita Falls. The drought ended gradually in September and early October, but record warm temperatures continued through September. Oklahoma City recorded an average temperature of 81.2 degrees in September, 2nd hottest September on record. The summer of 1980, considered to be the last major period of heat and drought to affect Oklahoma and western portions of north Texas, still ranks as the hottest summer ever for both Oklahoma City and Wichita Falls, however Oklahoma City did experience a drier summer in 1998 than in 1980.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, June 29, 1998.)

 

NCDC, Tulsa, June 26: “A 40-year old man in Tulsa collapsed from heat stroke on June 26 and later died on July 13. After a morning low in Tulsa of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the high temperature reached 96 degrees with a heat index was around 105 degrees. Similar conditions prevailed across much of eastern Oklahoma from June 22-29 with lows running in the upper 70s and highs from 96-98. Heat indices usually peaked out each day from 105 to 110.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Tulsa, June 26, 1998.)

 

Pennsylvania

 

NCDC, June 25-26, Southeast PA: “Excessive heat for two days brought some of the highest temperatures of the summer and caused three heat related deaths in Southeast Pennsylvania. The hot weather ended abruptly with severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon of the 26th. In Philadelphia, two women died from the heat (a 65-year-old and an 80-year-old). In Montgomery County, a 75-year-old man was found dead in the room of a Pennsburg motel. There was no air conditioning in the room and the room temperature at the time of discovery was 110 degrees. The highest temperatures mainly occurred on the 26th and included 97 degrees in Crum Creek (Delaware County), 95 degrees in Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County) and at the Philadelphia International Airport (The highest temperature of the year.), 94 degrees in Valley Forge (Montgomery County), 93 degrees at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport and 92 degrees in Perkasie (Bucks County).” (NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, PA, Philadelphia, June 25-26, 1998.)

 

NCDC, July 20-23 Southeast PA:  “A heat wave affected Southeast Pennsylvania from July 20th through the 23rd. Eleven persons died (Eight in Philadelphia and three in Montgomery County.) from the heat. They were usually discovered in homes with closed windows and inadequate ventilation. A 21-month-old Philadelphia baby was inadvertently left in a car overnight and died the next day. When the child was discovered in the car that next day, her body temperature had risen to 109 degrees. There were at least around 75 dispatches for heat related emergencies within the city of Philadelphia. Two firefighters also suffered heat exhaustion after fighting a blaze the afternoon of the 20th. The city of Allentown also issued a hot weather advisory for the 21st and 22nd. While no new energy usage records were set, PECO Energy reported energy usage was 20 percent above normal for July. The hottest days of the heat wave were the 21st and 22nd. Cloudiness on the 22nd prevented temperatures from rising even higher as the center of the hot air mass was over the Middle Atlantic States. A weak trough brought in slightly cooler air on the 23rd. A stronger cold front moved through the region late in the day on the 23rd and brought in a much drier and cooler air mass through the upcoming weekend (July 25th and 26th). The highest temperatures included 95 degrees at the Franklin Institute within Philadelphia, 94 degrees in Crum Creek (Delaware County) and at the Philadelphia International Airport and 93 degrees in Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County) and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.” (NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Montgomery, July 21-23, 1998.)

Texas:

 

Allaby:  “In the summer of 1998 severe drought and a heat wave gripped the southern United States from Texas through Oklahoma to the Carolinas.  One hundred and ten Texans died from the heat in June and July.  The total death toll exceeded 200.  Farmers and ranchers were badly hit.  The cost of failed crops and livestock deaths amounted to $6-9 billion.” (Allaby, Michael, Martyn Bramwell, and Jamie Stokes (eds., The Diagram Group.). Weather and Climate: An Illustrated Guide to Science. NY: Chelsea House, 2006.)

 

June 3:  “Triple-digit heat gripped Texas again on Tuesday…Although temperatures in the Rio Grande Valley Tuesday were close to or past the triple digit mark, the weather was closer to normal than in North and West Texas where folks sweated through the fourth day of a pre-summer heat wave.

 

“The high in Dallas was expected to reach 103, one degree shy of the record, as the heat wave’s first fatality — a bicyclist found dead at a state park — was confirmed.  An autopsy by the Dallas County medical examiner’s office showed that Jason Bradley Stogsdill, 23, of Arlington, died Monday [June 1] of hyperthermia combined with clogged arteries. His body was found along a bicycle trail.  Stogsdill was wearing clothes considered inappropriate for biking and did not carry sufficient water, said Cedar Hill police Sgt. Aaron Leutwyler.” (The Facts, Brazoria County, TX. “Heat wave claims first victim.” 6-3-1998, p. 1.)

 

June 19:  “The Associated Press.  With two deaths and several blazes already blamed on rising temperatures, the stage is set for a long, hot Texas summer. A warning is posted through Monday for residents of North Texas, where moisture in the air is expected to push heat-humidity values to between 105 and 115 degrees.  The only good news in the midst of the heat wave is that the haze plaguing Texas for the past several weeks has dissipated — at least for now.

 

“A 2-year-old Hillsboro girl who was left inside a car for more than an hour was the latest to die of heat-related causes. Sheena K. Dunbar died Friday morning at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth of hyperthermia.  Sheena’s mother had taken the girl with her to run an errand Wednesday afternoon, but left the child inside the car when she returned to the family’s residence, said Hillsboro Police Chief Richard White. “When the mother went back out, she had succumbed to the heat,” White told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram….

 

“Wednesday’s temperature reached 99 degrees. Many Texas cities Saturday were in the triple digits, with readings from 100 to 113. It was 107 at Cotulla and 113 at Childress. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had 102 degrees in the second straight day over the century mark. Temperatures Sunday, the first day of summer, peaked in the 80s in the Panhandle while readings elsewhere reached into the upper 90s.  Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport reached 100 degrees, breaking the 1936 record.

 

“The other heat-related fatality occurred June 1 when 23-year-old Jason Bradley Stogsdill of Arlington died while bicycling near Joe Pool Reservoir. The high temperature that day was 101. His death was caused by overheating combined with a pre-existing heart disease….” (Orange Leader, TX. “Heat linked to two deaths, blazes as summer starts.” 6-22-1998, p. 5.)

 

NCDC, July: “A prolonged excessive heat event continued across north Texas in July. This heat wave was the result of existing drought conditions combined with a persistent upper level ridge of high pressure. For the month of July, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) recorded an average high of 102.4 degrees, which was the second warmest for the month on record and the fourth warmest ever. The average low of 80.8 degrees was the warmest average low for any month. The monthly average temperature of 91.6 degrees was the second warmest month on record, second only to the 92.0 degrees recorded during the heat wave in July of 1980. DFW reported 28 days with high temperatures at or above 100 degrees and 26 days with low temperatures at or above 80 degrees. The high temperature of 110 degrees reported at DFW on July 12th was the warmest high temperature recorded since July 18, 1980. In Waco, the average temperature of 90.4 degrees was the third warmest on record, with highs averaging 102.4 degrees and lows averaging 78.3 degrees. Waco also reported 26 days with highs at or above 100 degrees. The warmest high temperature for the month for north Texas was reported in Fort Worth on July 13th, when the mercury topped out at 112 degrees.

 

“During July, the heat wave claimed at least 32 lives in north Texas, with most of the fatalities occurring in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Most of the fatalities were elderly, and many fatalities listed other complicating factors, such as heart disease and hypertension. Below are the dates and listings of each fatality.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998.)

Sources

 

Alabama Department of Public Health. “Health precautions urged during periods of prolonged heat.” 11-7-2006 modification. Accessed 11-8-2015 at: http://www.adph.org/news/assets/050621.pdf

 

Allaby, Michael, Martyn Bramwell, and Jamie Stokes (eds. ,The Diagram Group.). Weather and Climate: An Illustrated Guide to Science. NY: Chelsea House, 2006. Partially Google digitized: http://books.google.com/books?id=iHPbFExmzoQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Arizona Department of Health Services (Christopher K. Mrela and Clare Torres). Deaths from Exposure to Excessive Natural Heat Occurring in Arizona 1992-2009. AZ DHS, March 2010, 5-12-2014 modification. Accessed 9-1-2015: http://www.azdhs.gov/plan/report/im/heat/heat09.pdf

 

Associated Press. “Heat Deaths Rise; No Quick End Seen.” Titusville Herald, PA. 7-22-1998, p. 1. Accessed 1-4-2016: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=105913113&sterm

 

Branigin, William, Washington Post. “Death at the border.” Hutchinson News, KS. 2-21-1999, C7. Accessed 12-22-2015: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=144045759&sterm=death+at+the+border

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9/E99.0 (exposure to natural heat-hyperthermia) search). CDC WONDER On-line Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988, Series 20, No. 2A, 2000 and CMF 1989-1998, Series 20, No. 2E, 2003. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd9.html on Aug 30, 2016 7:12:11 PM

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Fatal Car Trunk Entrapment Involving Children – United States, 1987-1998.” MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Atlanta), Vol. 47, No. 47, pp. 1019-1022, 12-4-1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00055794.htm

 

Chicago Tribune. “Father Convicted in Heat Deaths of 2 Kids.” 3-26-1999. Accessed 12-4-2015 at: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-03-26/news/9903260160_1_arrowheads-and-mushrooms-ricky-crisp-sidney-pippen

 

Chicago Tribune. “Murder Charged in Deaths of 2 Baby Girls Left in Car.” 4-28-1998. Accessed 12-22-2015 at: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-04-28/news/9804290266_1_ricky-leon-crisp-justin-griffith-first-degree-murder

 

Garwe, Tabitha, M.P.H., Epidemiologist, Injury Prevention Service, OK DPH. ). “Heat-Related Deaths, Oklahoma, 1990-2001.” Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma State Department of Health, 5-31-2002. Accessed 11-8-2015 at: http://www.ok.gov/health2/documents/Heat_Deaths_1990-2001.pdf

 

KY3, Springfield, MO. “Parents are charged for baby’s death in hot car in Hickory County.” 8-5-2015. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: http://www.ky3.com/news/local/parents-of-baby-charged-in-hot-car-death-in-hickory-county/21048998_34550858

 

Lushine, James B. “Underreporting of Heat and Cold Related Deaths in Florida.” Miami, FL: National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, NOAA. 1-6-2009 modification. Accessed 11-1-2015 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/?n=fla_weather_casualties

 

Mirabelli, Maria C. and David B. Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 95, no. 4, April 2005, pp. 635-637. Accessed 9-2-2015 at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449233/

 

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. “Heat Related Illnesses/Deaths (Hyperthermia).” 5-2-2008. Accessed 12-23-2015 at: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/lsx/wcm/dhss_article_2008.pdf

 

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Data & Statistical Reports. Chart: “Hyperthermia Mortality, Missouri, 1980-2013.” DHSS. Accessed 11-19-2015 at: http://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/hyperthermia/data.php

 

Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Death Toll Stands at 132 as Heat Parboils Nation.” 7-23-1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: http://articles.mcall.com/1998-07-23/news/3215823_1_deadly-heat-heat-wave-hottest-day

 

National Climatic Data Center. Event Record Details, Excessive Heat, Illinois, 24 Jun 1998.  NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce.  Accessed 2/4/2009 at:  http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~317828

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Alabama, Escambia, June 29, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5652530

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Alabama, Upper Mobile, June 22, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5654335

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Central San Joaquin Valley, Aug 27, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5655669

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Kern Deserts, July 24, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5649112

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Kern Deserts, Aug 4-6, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5649113

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Delaware, New Castle, June 25-26, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665647

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Lee County, June 3, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5658517

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Lee County, June 13, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5658817

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Lee County, June 24, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5658814

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Volusia, June 1-30, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5662563

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Cook, June 24-28, 1998. Accessed 12-24-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5655706

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Cook, July 1-2, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5654528

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Cook, July 14-15, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5654529

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Peoria, June 26-28, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5655417

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, St. Clair County, June 23-30, 1998. Accessed 12-24-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5663264

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Williamson County, June 22-29, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5659446

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Kansas, Butler County, Aug 17, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5657838

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Kansas, Sedgwick County, Aug 17, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5657837

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Kentucky, Daviess County, June 22-29, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5659424

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Bossier, May 18, 1998, 15:00. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5640396

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Bossier, May 18, 1998, 16:00. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5640397

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Bossier, June 1-30, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5653645

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Bossier, July 1-30, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5657882

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Caddo, June 1-30, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5653644

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Caddo, July 1-30, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5657881

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Lower Terrebonne Parish, June 19, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5666251

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, St. Mary’s, July 20-23, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5663051

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, Greene County, July 21, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5662771

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, Jackson County, July 16-21, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5656086

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, St. Louis, June 23-30, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5663140

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, North Carolina, Mecklenburg, June 29, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5651904

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Choctaw, July 6-31, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5657670

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Jackson County, July 17, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5672589

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Logan, July 21, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5672594

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma County, June 21, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5668058

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, June 29, 1998. Accessed 26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5668059

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma County, July 19, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5672590

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma County, July 27, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5672596

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma County, July 30, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5672598

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma County, Aug 2, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5672714

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma County, Sep 4, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5671004

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Stephens County, July 20, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5672593

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Tulsa, June 26, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5645012

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oregon, Columbia/C & W Multnomah/Washington/NW Clackamas, July 26-28, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5661837

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Montgomery, July 21-23, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5664687

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, June 20-21, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665648

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, June 25-26, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665822

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, July 20-23, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5664688

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, South Carolina, Charleston, June 1-30, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5650131

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, South Carolina, Kershaw County, July 2, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5649921

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Tennessee, Knox, June 27, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5660026

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Tennessee, Knox, June 28, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5660027

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Angelina County, June 1-30, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5653665

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Angelina County, July 1-30, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5657883

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, June 1, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5655633

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998. Accessed 12-26-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5660937

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, Aug 3-13, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5664460

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, May 9, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5661708

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, June 9, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5661618

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, July 13, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665596

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, July 14, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665600

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, July 15, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665703

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, July 21, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665794

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, July 26, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665795

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, July 27, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665796

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, July 29, 1998, 09:00. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665797

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, July 29, 1998, 13:30. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5665798

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 2, 1998, 17:30. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669514

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 2, 1998, 20:30. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669515

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 3, 1998, 02:31. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669517

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 3, 1998, 08:15. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669518

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 3, 1998, 18:30. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669518

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 5, 1998, 04:09. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669521

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 5, 1998, 06:25. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669519

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 5, 1998, 08:05. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669520

 

National Climatic Data Center, NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harris County, Aug 6, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5669522

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Hill, June 19, 1998. Accessed 12-23-2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5655634

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Wichita County, July 3, 1998. Accessed 1-1-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5672584

 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Summer Forecast – Hot! NOAA, CDC Work to Save Lives from…Heat.” NOAA News, 6-21-2000. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s445.htm

 

National Weather Service, NOAA. 1998 Heat Related Fatalities. Accessed 12-22-2015 at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/hazstats/heat98.pdf

 

New York Times, New Orleans. “41 Heat-Related Deaths in Louisiana Nearly Double Old Record.” 8-18-1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/18/us/41-heat-related-deaths-in-louisiana-nearly-double-old-record.html

 

Null, Jan. Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles. Chart: “U.S. Child Vehicular Heatstroke Deaths (1998-2015). Golden Gate Weather Services. Accessed 1-3-2016: http://noheatstroke.org/

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 109208058 – Dimare Ruskin, Inc., DBA Millcreek Farm.” July 25, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=109208058

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 123467862 – F. W. Mechanical.” May 30, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=123467862

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 125573410 – L. C. Packing.” July 16, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=125573410

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 126011030 – Veg Packer.” July 18, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=126011030

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 126213222 – Ag West Labor.” June 19, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=126213222

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 18284463 – G. A. Hysong Paving Co.” June 24, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=18284463

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 300333416 – Cardinal Contracting, Inc.” July 1, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300333416

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 300438074 – North American Precast Company.” July 17, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300438074

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 300438744 – Rudd & Adams Masonry, Inc.” 9-3-1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300438744

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 300446630 – CLM Landscaping.” June 24, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300446630

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 300648193 – Gregory Bridge Company.” May 28, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300648193

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 300796299 – Anthony F. Cubre Jr.” Sep 5, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300796299

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301013769 – Top Concrete.” July 17, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301013769

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301312930 – Saint Clair and Sons, Inc.” July 11, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301312930

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301402970 – Houston Hot Top Roofing.” June 17, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301402970

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301464855 – Baltimore Marine Industries.” July 21, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301464855

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301970364 – Disposall Inc. of Orlando.” June 18, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301970364

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301991741 – Avondale Shipyard.” July 29, 1998. Accessed 1-2-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301991741

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 302097779 – Nabors Drilling USA, Inc., Rig #322.” May 7, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=302097779

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 302097795 – S.S. Smith & Sons Masonry Inc.” June 18, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=302097795

 

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998]. “Inspection: 302097902 – B & L Farm, Inc.” May 7, 1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=302097902

 

Orange Leader, Orange, TX. “Heat linked to two deaths, blazes as summer starts.” 6-22-1998, p. 5. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=128147548&sterm

 

Orlando Sentinel, FL. “Heat of Battle. Keeping Cool is 1^st Priority for Prep Teams After North Carolina Tragedy.” 8-11-1998. Accessed 1-3-2016 at: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1998-08-11/sports/9808110374_1_heat-exhaustion-heat-wave-heat-of-battle

 

Sun Sentinel (Ken Kaye), FL. “Cold Leads Heat as Killer in Florida.” 9-10-2000. Accessed 12-22-2015 at: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2000-09-10/news/0009100021_1_heat-exhaustion-deaths-temperature-extremes

 

The Facts, Brazoria County, TX. “Heat wave claims first victim.” 6-3-1998, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=111111831&sterm=heat+wave+death+dead+die+kill

 

 

 

 

[1] Credits the Health Department’s Center for Health Statistics.

[2] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Alabama, Escambia, June 29, 1998.

[3] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Alabama, Upper Mobile, June 22, 1998.

[4] “Data on the number and characteristics of deaths from heat due to weather conditions were obtained from the mortality database containing information from the death certificates filed with the Arizona Department of Health Services….Exposure to excessive natural heat as the underlying cause of death is identified by a three-character category X30 in the Tenth Revision and corresponding to it code E900.0 in the Ninth Revision [International Classification of Diseases]….In addition to death certificates where exposure to excessive natural heat was indicated as the underlying cause of death, heatstroke or sunstroke may be reported on death certificates as contributing factors that had a bearing on the death, but were not its underlying cause. For example, heatstroke and sunstroke were mentioned in 2003-2009 on 103 Arizona death certificates where atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (I25.0), respiratory disease (J449), diabetes (E149), or drug overdose/alcohol intoxication (X41-X44) were reported as the underlying cause of death. Those heat related deaths are beyond the scope of this report.”

[5] CDC WONDER shows 17 Maricopa Co. deaths for code ICD-9/E900 (exposure to heat/hyperthermia).

[6] Left by father eight hours “in a hot, unventilated car while he and a friend searched for arrowheads and mushrooms.” Chicago Tribune. “Father Convicted in Heat Deaths of 2 Kids.” 3-26-1999. The article cites prosecutors for the statement that the heat reached 130 degrees in the car and that the pain was so severe, Vicky pulled out her hair.” Date of deaths from: Chicago Tribune. “Murder Charged in Deaths of 2 Baby Girls Left in Car.” 4-28-1998.

[7] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Kern Deserts, July 24, 1998.

[8] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 126213222 – Ag West Labor.” Notes “The high temperature that day was 93 degrees Fahrenheit.”

[9] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Delaware, New Castle, June 25-26, 1998.

[10] Figure 3, “Annual Temperature Deaths, Florida, 1979-1999.” Note: Figure 3 is a chart which shows heat deaths in one color and cold deaths in another on the same horizontal bar for each year. The fatality range shown on the left of the chart is in increments of five, going up to thirty. The bars for each year are shown diagonally and do not show any numbers. This does not make them readily readable. Thus one has to measure with a ruler the bar showing the lowest combined deaths (1979), which appears to show one cold death and one heat death. With the unit of measurement of one death then measured against the heat portion of all the other bars, one can get an approximation of the heat deaths for each year. I say “approximate” in that by this method we counted 133 heat deaths over the 21-year period included in the graph, whereas the text of the article notes that there were 125. Repetitious measurement attempts gave us the same result. The article notes that the data came from death certificates collected by the Public Health Statistics Section, Office of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

[11] Sun Sentinel (Ken Kaye). “Cold Leads Heat as Killer in Florida.” 9-10-2000.

[12] Sun Sentinel (Ken Kaye). “Cold Leads Heat as Killer in Florida.” 9-10-2000.

[13] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Lee County, June 3, 1998.

[14] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Lee County, June 13, 1998.

[15] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Lee County, June 24, 1998.

[16] Sun Sentinel (Ken Kaye). “Cold Leads Heat as Killer in Florida.” 9-10-2000.

[17] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Volusia, June 1-30, 1998. Notes he was from Orlando.

[18] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, St. Clair County, June 23-30, 1998.

[19] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Williamson County, June 22-29, 1998.

[20] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301013769 – Top Concrete.”

[21] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Kentucky, Daviess County, June 22-29, 1998.

[22] “New Orleans, Aug. 17 – The hot weather that has scorched Louisiana since May has caused a record number of deaths from heat exhaustion. At least 41 people, most of them elderly, died of heat-related causes, according to dozens of parish coroners surveyed recently by The Associated Press….Officials suspect this year’s number of heat-related deaths will go higher, even without any new cases of heat-exhaustion deaths. One reason is that the parish coroners have reported they suspect hot weather as the cause in 18 more deaths, but have not yet classified them as heat-related because tests have not been completed. Even then the overall count will probably end up underestimated, said Dr. James Falterman Sr., president of the Louisiana State Coroners Association. That is because some doctors have failed to report to coroners deaths in which heat was a contributing factor…Although many parishes reported only one heat-related death this year, northwest Louisiana was hit particularly hard. Twenty-eight of the 41 heat-related deaths happened in the Shreveport area alone.”

[23] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Bossier, May 18, 1998.

[24] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Bossier, May 18, 1998. Notes “At the time of his death his body temperature had elevated to 101 degrees.”

[25] New York Times. “41 Heat-Related Deaths in Louisiana Nearly Double Old Record.” 8-18-1998. Notes that victim lived alone and was discovered by neighbors who had not seen him for several days.

[26] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Caddo, June 1-30, 1998.

[27] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Caddo, July 1-30, 1998.

[28] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301991741 – Avondale Shipyard.” Notes “Employee dies of heat-related heart attack.”

[29] New York Times. “41 Heat-Related Deaths in Louisiana Nearly Double Old Record.” 8-18-1998. AC was broken.

[30] While mostly in Caddo Parish, Shreveport extends into Bossier Parish.

[31] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Louisiana, Lower Terrebonne Parish, June 19, 1998.

[32] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 123467862 – F. W. Mechanical.” Notes the worker “died of heat stress complicated by coronary artery disease.”

[33] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1998], “Inspection: 301464855 – Baltimore Marine Industries.” NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, St. Mary’s, July 20-23. Cites Chief Med. Examiner.

[34] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, Jackson Co., July 16-21, 1998. Notes: “Temperatures climbed into the 90s for six straight days from July 16-21. Numerous hospitals in Kansas City reported treating heat related illnesses during this period. The temperature at the Downtown Kansas City airport reached 100, 102 and 101 degrees on July 19, 20 and 21 respectively with afternoon heat indices between 110 and 115 degrees.”

[35] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, St. Louis, June 23-30,1998. Notes this was the first heat wave of the summer in the area with high temps in the mid 90s with a heat index of from 105-110.° Also notes that besides the three deaths “at least 143 heat related injuries” were reported.

[36] KY3, Springfield, MO. “Parents are charged for baby’s death in hot car in Hickory County.” 8-5-2015. From sidebar entitled: “Here’s a summary of previous child heat stroke deaths in Missouri, as provided by KidsAndCars.org.”

[37] CDC. “Fatal Car Trunk Entrapment Involving Children – United States, 1987-1998.” MMWR, 12-4-1998, 1019. Table 1 shows the ages of the children as 2, 3, 5 and 5.

[38] Orlando Sentinel, FL. “Heat of Battle. Keeping Cool is 1^st Priority for Prep Teams After North Carolina Tragedy.” 8-11-1998.

[39] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, North Carolina, Mecklenburg, June 29, 1998.

[40] From Figure 1. “Heat-Related Deaths by Year, Oklahoma, 1990-2001.” Deaths in Figure 1 are denoted by a horizontal bar, against backdrop of horizontal lines in increments of five. The precise number of deaths is not given, thus one has to make an educated guess in looking at the Figure and contrasting one bar against others.

[41] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Logan, July 21, 1998. Notes: “Reports indicated she rejected numerous offers of an air conditioner.”

[42] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, June 29, 1998. Notes the temperature in the room was measured at 115 degrees.

[43] Notes the heat that day rose to 106 in Tulsa and 105 in McAlester.

[44] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Choctaw, July 6-31, 1998. Notes temp. reached 99° after a morning low of 80 and afternoon heat indices near 110 degrees.

[45] CDC. “Fatal Car Trunk Entrapment Involving Children – United States, 1987-1998.” MMWR, 12-4-1998. Notes “The boys had found the car keys, opened the trunk, and climbed inside. They were missing for several hours during the morning and early afternoon. The outside ambient temperature that afternoon was approximately 85 F (29.5 C). The autopsy report cited hyperthermia and asphyxia as the causes of death.”

[46] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Montgomery, June 25-26, 1998. Notes that after the victim was discovered the room temperature was measured at 110 degrees.

[47] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Montgomery, July 21-23, 1998. Notes that when the girl was found the next day “her body temperature had risen to 109 degrees.”

[48] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, July 20-23. “Other” as location. A news article writes that “Doris Levy-Lifschutz, 61, was found dead in her Philadelphia home Monday [July 20], said Jeff Moran, spokesman for the city’s Health Department. The cause of her death was heat stress and heart disease, he said. The Philadelphia Fire Department reported 28 heat-related emergencies on Monday, including two firefighters who had heat exhaustion while on the job, said Executive Chief Henry Dolberry.” (The Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Death Toll Stands at 132 as Heat Parboils Nation.” 7-23-1998.)

[49] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, South Carolina, Kershaw County, July 2, 1998. Notes there was “no ventilation” and that “the temperature inside reached to at least 100 degrees.”

[50] NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, TN, Knox, June 27, 1998. Notes victim “had been deceased for a day or two [when found by neighbors]…He lived in a low-income, high crime area and lived on a fixed income. He was afraid he could not pay his electric bill, so did not turn on his air conditioning. Because of the neighborhood, he was afraid to open the windows. When found, all the windows in his home were shut with only a small fan blowing.”

[51] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Tennessee, Knox, June 28, 1998. Notes she had been deceased for a day or two before being found by neighbors. Also notes “She lived in a low-income, high crime area and lived on a fixed income. She was afraid she could not pay her electric bill, and because of the neighborhood she lived in, did not turn on her air conditioning and kept all windows closed.”

[52] Associated Press. “Heat Deaths Rise; No Quick End Seen.” Titusville Herald, PA. 7-22-1998, p. 1.

[53] Notes that across northeast Texas the month of June was the hottest since 1980.

[54] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection: 300438074 – North American Precast.”

[55] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998.

[56] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998

[57] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998.

[58] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998.

[59] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, Aug 3-13, 1998.

[60] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, Aug 3-13, 1998.

[61] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998.

[62] This may well be the heat-related death reported in Hillsboro on June 19 by The Orange Leader, Hillsboro, TX. “Heat linked to two deaths…” 6-22-1998, p. 5.

[63] OSHA. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries. “Inspection – 302097795 – S.S. Smith & Sons Masonry Inc.” June 18, 1998. Notes: “He fell due to heat-related causes, but died of head injuries sustained in the fall. The ambient temperature was over 100 degrees F…”

[64] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998.

[65] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas County, July 1-31, 1998.

[66] CDC. “Fatal Car Trunk Entrapment Involving Children – United States, 1987-1998.” MMWR, 12-4-1998. Notes the car was parked in front of one of the girl’s homes. “The outside ambient temperature was 100 F (37.8 C). The vehicle’s trunk-release lever was adjacent to the driver’s seat, and at least one of the two 6-year-old girls reportedly knew how to operate the release lever. The children had not been seen for approximately 20 minutes before a search began and were found approximately 1½ hours after the search began. Liver temperatures taken at the death scent 1½ to 2 hours after the children were found ranged from 99 F to 117 F (37.2 C to 47.2C). The autopsy report cited the cause of death as hyperthermia.” Table 1 notes the ages of the girls as 2, 3, 5, 6, and 6.

–8  AP. “Fatal blaze may have been arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-5-1998, p. 9.

–8  AP. “Fire not…first tragedy woman, 90…survived.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p6.

–8  AP. “Investigators blame boarding home fire on…suicide.” The Chronicle, Centralia, WA, 12-14-1998, A4.

–8  AP. “Investigators not sure…care-center fire…arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-7-1998, p. 9.

–8  AP. “Police close case on fatal home fire.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 8-12-1998, A4.

–8  AP. “Police: No surviving suspects in fire.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 8-13-1998, 14.

–8  Everett Herald, WA. “Deadliest events in Snohomish County history.” 3-25-2014

–8  Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. “State fines Arlington Fire Department.” 1-13-1998, p. 9.

–7  AP. “Care center blaze kills 7 in Arlington…smoking in bed.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, 4-28-1998, 1 & 2.

–7  AP. “Last check found few infractions at facility.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p1.

–7  Seattle Times (Gene Balk). “The Puget Sound area’s deadliest fires.” 1-1-2011.

 

Narrative Information

 

April 28: “Arlington, Wash (AP) — Seven people have died from a late-night fire at a care center in a 90-year-old converted hospital, and 25 others were taken to hospitals. The fire at the Arlington Manor, assisted-living center broke out about 11 p.m. Monday and was quickly contained to a relatively small area, but not before thick smoke spread throughout the long, narrow, two-story wood-frame building, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Koontz said. ‘Most of th building had filled with hot gas and black smoke’ by the time firefighters arrived, he said. ‘This is just what we hop never happens — a fire in an old folks’ home,’ Koontz said.

 

“Five persons were found dead at the home overnight, and a sixth persons was found this morning. One of the two women taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle died this morning, while a second person remained in critical condition.

 

“The cause of the fire was not immediately known. However, Bob Kraski, the mayor of this small town about 40 miles north of Seattle said today that residents of the home had widespread access to cigarettes and lighters, and apparently were smoking inside, despite rules against it. He also said a second-floor fire door had been kept open with a concrete block. ‘They had been smoking in rooms, probably in beds…almost every room, Kraski said after touring the building with fire officials.

 

“Kraski said the blaze was discovered when a staff member opened a resident’s room and found that person on fire. The room was next to the staircase leading to the second floor, and the flames quickly spread, he said. ‘All signs point to’ smoking by a resident as the cause, Kraski said.

 

“A neighbor, Pat Evans, said women who work at the center told her they had just come on shift when the noticed the fire. ‘They had just walked through and they saw the flames and the black smoke,’ she said. ‘They ran upstairs and began pulling people out of bed. ‘The smoke was just following them up the stairs.’

 

“Koontz said 32 residents and two staff members were in the home when the fire broke out. At least 25 people were taken to hospitals in Arlington, Everett and Seattle. ‘We thought it was prudent to have all of them go to the hospital,’ he said.

 

“One of the ladies in the kitchen came up and started hollering ‘Fire! Get out! Get out!’ Gene Oakley, a resident at the home, told Seattle’s KIRO-TV. ‘I didn’t have time to get scared really. I thought all the way out, my God, I should be down on my knees crawling with all this smoke, but somebody was pulling me too fast. I didn’t have time to do anything,’ he said.

 

“Two women were airlifted to Harborville Medical Center in Seattle. Violet McClure, 75, died this morning, while Marion McServey, 66, was in critical condition with burns and smoke inhalation, hospital spokesman Larry Zalin said.

 

“Twelve people were treated at Providence General Medical Center in Everett and the released. Eleven were checked for smoke inhalation at Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington and released.

 

“The names and ages of those victims were not immediately available. The home’s residents are elderly, but for the most part are ambulatory. Evans said she knew of three residents whe were confined to wheelchairs.

 

“Those killed were on both the first and second floors, in the portion of the building where the fire was worst, Koontz said.

 

“The cause of the fire — which apparently began on the first floor and spread to the second floor and roof — was under investigation. The center does not have sprinklers.

 

“Fire Capt. Dean Olsen Jr. said the building was built in 1908. It served as a hospital until 1959, when it was remodeled as a home for the elderly. It had been remodeled a couple of times since then, but not recently enough to require sprinklers under newer building codes, he said. The building was equipped with smoke detectors, but Koontz said he did not know what role that played, in any, an alerting residents.

 

“The center is owned by Jora Inc., whose president is John Rathjen of Bakersfield, Calif., said Dave Duskin, an Arlington attorney who represents the company. Rathjen has an unlisted telephone number and could not immediately be reached for comment.

 

“The Red Cross was helping residents find other lodging.

 

“Evans said she and her husband, Harry, invited residents into their home before they were taken to hospitals. Some had lived in the center for more than 25 years, Evans said. Most were quiet and some had a ‘silent tear’ pass down their cheeks, she said. ‘We passed the dog around so they could pat the little dog, and that helped,’ she said.

 

“Fire departments from neighboring communities helped the Arlington department, which has five paid firefighters and 43 volunteers. The two-alarm fire was expanded to three alarms to call in additional ambulances to transport people to hospitals.” (Associated Press. “Care center blaze kills 7 in Arlington. Officials suspect tragedy linked to smoking in bed.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, 4-28-1998, pp. 1 and 2.)

 

April 29: “Olympia (AP) — Fire inspectors who checked out the aging Arlington Manor last summer turned up only minor problems — certainly noshing that gave any hint of the deadly fire that would kill eight people, state regulators say. ‘But any time you have a structure that is 90 years old, anything can happen. Something can spark. And in a facility that old, it can be tragic,’ said Washington State Patrol Capt. Marshall Pugh, spokesman for the state fire marshal’s office.

 

“The manor was operating with a lapsed license, but only because the Department of Health hadn’t inspected the facility for health and safety factors since June 1996.

 

“The facility is a converted hospital licensed as a boarding home to care for up to 39 elderly and handicapped people who need some help, but not full nursing-home care. It is one of 463 state-licensed boarding homes. The facilities have a total capacity of 20,105 people and range in size from three residents to about 200, said Denny McKee, an official with the Washington Department of Social and Health Services.

 

“The Arlington Manor and similar facilities must meet both fire and health and safety inspections regularly.

 

“McKee and Pugh said Tuesday the last fire inspection at Arlington Manor was done last August. Two fairly minor infractions were noted, dealing with emergency lights and exit sings. A reinspection in October showed that the problems had been corrected. Inspectors did not notice people smoking cigarettes inside the building or any fire doors propped open, as local inspectors think may have been to blame for the death toll, Pugh said in an interview….” (AP. “Last check found few infractions at facility.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p1.)

 

April 29: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — Christine Lenz survived the Depression by moving with her German husband from Chicago to rejoin his well-to-do family in Berlin. He and their eldest son were conscripted into the Nazi forces and died, and their hours was bombed into rubble, but she and the other five children survived, boarding one of the first ships back to the United States after World War II.

 

“On Monday night, at age 90, Lenz survived once again, rolling her wheelchair out of Arlington Manor care center to escape a fire that killed eight of the 32 residents.…

 

“Lenz was among 26 residents, many of them Alzheimer’s patients, slightly retarded or under treatment of mild mental disorders, who were taken to area hospitals. Two staff members escaped injury….

 

“Of the hospitalized residents, 24 were treated, released and admitted to nursing homes or other care centers in the area or were taken in by relatives, Red Cross officials said.

 

“The Snohomish County medical examiner said six of the victims died of smoke inhalation. Their identities were being withheld early today. The causes of death for the seventh victim, Violet McClure, 75, and the eighth, Marion McServey, 66, were not immediately announces. Both died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle…

 

“Residents were barred from smoking in their rooms, and those caught violating that rule had their cigarettes taken away and could get them from staff only to smoke in common areas and outside, said David E. Duskin, a lawyer for center owner John Rathjen of Bakersfield, Calif. Each time that happened, a report was filed with the state, Duskin added.

 

‘At the time of the fire, the only resident permitted to keep cigarettes in her room was a woman who lived in the room where the fire stared, Duskin said.” (Associated Press. “Fire not the first tragedy woman, 90, has survived.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p. 6.)

 

May 5: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — A fire that killed eight women residents of a boarding home may have been deliberately set, court papers indicate. A 62-year-old resident of the Arlington Manor assisted-care center reportedly threatened to burn down the building early on the night of the fire, after a staff member caught her smoking stolen cigarettes, a police affidavit said. The affidavit was made public Monday [May 4]. No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing. The affidavit by police Chief Steve Robinson noted that the female resident, who had been at the home for four years, regularly made such comments when she was angry.

 

“Of the 32 residents — many of them Alzheimer’s patients, slightly retarded or under treatment for mild mental disorders — w of them were at least 70 years old.

 

“The April 27 blaze at the two-story, wood-frame building has been ‘determined to be inconsistent with an accidental fire,’ Snohomish County Deputy Fire Marshall Gary T. Bontrager said. Bontrager was quoted by Robinson in an affidavit filed in support of a search warrant. In the affidavit, Robinson said there was evidence of first-degree arson and first-degree murder in the fire that gutted a residential room and spread dense smoke throughout the 90-year-old former hospital…

 

“Six residents were found dead after the fire and two died on April 28 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle….

 

“In the affidavit filed last Wednesday, Robinson said Bontrager told him the fire originated under a vacant bed in a residential room. Among items seized by police were a perfume bottle, a partial pack of cigarettes, a disposable lighter, a partial book of matches and patient medical records. The woman suspect was not injured in the fire.” (Associated Press. “Fatal blaze may have been arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-5-1998, p. 9.)

 

May 7: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — The first theory was smoking in bed. Then investigators indicated it was arson. Now Police Chief Steve Robinson says investigators haven’t decided whether the fire that killed eight women residents of a boarding home was deliberately set. In a news conference and interview Wednesday [May 6], Robinson said the fire started late on the night of April 27 in ‘the area of the bed’ occupied by Thelma Johnson, 56, at Arlington Manor, an assisted-care center… ‘At this time, investigators are unable to make a determination that the fire was intentionally or accidentally set,’ Robinson said in his prepared comments. ‘Investigators will continue to evaluate all information and reports. The results from lab testing are not anticipated for several weeks.’

 

“Robinson said no one was in custody or under guard, nor would he indicate who might be responsible. ‘Anybody that we might want to interview…we are not concerned with them running away,’ he said.

 

“Robinson said evidence recovered to date disproved two early theories — that the fire was caused by smoking in bed, a violation of house rules, and that it started under an empty bed in a room occupied by Johnson and two other women who died. ‘The fire was determined to have been set by the use of a hand-held flame that was used to ignite available bedding materials,; the statement said.” (Associated Press. “Investigators not sure that care-center fire was arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-7-1998, p. 9.)

 

Aug 12: “Arlington (AP) — Police have closed their criminal investigation of a fire that killed eight women residents of a boarding home, saying there are ‘no surviving suspects.’ Police also said in a statement Tuesday [Aug 11] they found no evidence of any flammable substance or accelerant used in the fire at Arlington Manor. The statement did not say whether police believe the fire, which started in the area of resident Thelma Johnson’s bed, was started accidentally or deliberately….Johnson, 56, was among the victims, as were two other women who lived in the same room…” (Associated Press. “Police close case on fatal home fire.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 8-12-1998, A4.)

 

Aug 13: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — Police…[said] Wednesday [12^th] no one will ever know whether the fire was set accidentally or intentionally. ‘There are no witnesses to the fire being set and no surviving suspects,’ Police Chief Steve Robinson told reporters at a news conference. The type of fire and the speed with which it accelerated led investigators to believe it was caused by a ‘hand-held flame’ — possibly a cigarette lighter or book of matches — that ignited bedding, Robin said. No lighter or matches were recovered however, he said.

 

“The April 27 fire at Arlington Manor started in the area of resident Thelma Johnson’s bed, but Robinson said it was impossible to determine which of the three women started the fire. ‘I am not going to point to anyone in that room as a primary suspect because there’s no evidence to support that,’ he said. He said investigators ruled out a cigarette, which would have caused a smoldering fire. Johnson, 56, was a smoker, ‘although whether she was smoking in the room or not, we don’t know,’ Robinson said.

 

“They also ruled out all probability of anyone outside the room starting the fire, including a 62-year-old woman who routinely threatened to burn the building down when told not to smoke. She was asleep when a bed check was made 10 minutes before the fire started, he said….

 

“Robinson said no lawsuits have been filed and that the governor has appointed a talk force to look into the matter.” (Associated Press. “Police: No surviving suspects in fire.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 8-13-1998, p. 14.)

 

Dec 14: “Arlington (AP) — A fire in which eight women died at a boarding home last spring was started in a suicide attempt by a mentally ill resident, a newspaper reported. Investigative records obtained under state open-records laws include a finding that Thelma Johnson ignited her bedding at Arlington Manor with a match or lighter, The Herald of Everett reported Sunday.

 

“Although Police Chief Steve Robinson said in August it was impossible to determine which of the three women in Johnson’s room started the fire, five Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives have concluded that Johnson set the fire in a suicide attempt April 27. Deputy fire marshal Gary Bontrager’s report also said it was ‘highly unlikely’ that someone else set the fire in Johnson’s bed while she was asleep. None of the reports was dated. ‘We know where the fire was started, and I think we need to do justice to the other families to let them know that their relatives are not suspects,’ Sheriff Rick Bart told the Herald.

 

“Robinson, who requested county help in the investigation, told the Herald the probe by his officers was less to find out who set the fire than to determine with hard evidence whether a crime had been committed. ‘We came to the conclusion that there was not conclusive evidence as to who set the fire, he told the Herald. ‘There was certainly circumstantial evidence and a lot of speculation.’

 

“Documents obtained by the Herald also cited safety problems, including the use of a 10-pound brick to hold open a fire door, staff-only fire drills, and fire alarms that went off falsely so often that residents came to ignore them.

 

“The two-story, wood frame building…has been shut down since the fire….

 

“Johnson, 56, who had a long history of schizophrenia and once set a fire at a mental hospital in neighboring Skagit County, was among those who died in the fire. Relatives said she had attempted suicide twice in recent years by cutting her wrists and neck. Her mental illness usually could be controlled with medication, but she was increasingly withdrawn, depressed and delusional after being treated for pneumonia at a hospital a few weeks before the fire, the report said. She told one staffer that the home employees were impostors bent on doing here harm. She told relatives her psychiatrist had blown up the White House and that she was surrounded by Communists. On the day of the fire, Johnson told a few workers and residents she’d be going home for good soon and that God had forgiven her sins. She also refused to take her anti-psychotic medication that night.

 

“‘It was a preventable tragedy, and that would be the theory of any lawsuit that came out, that they had a duty to supervise,’ said Jeff Sadler of Tacoma, a lawyer for Johnson’s daughter, Kristy Hayes. To date, no claim or lawsuit has been filed.

 

“David E. Duskin, a lawyer for the owners of the shut-down boarding home, John and Charlotte Rathjen of Bakersfield, Calif., said he did not believe anyone ever told the staff Johnson previously set a fire. He would not discuss the issue in more detail because of the possibility of litigation.

 

“Smoking was restricted to designated areas in the boarding home, and most residents were prohibited from keeping cigarettes, lighters or matches in their rooms, usually because that had been caught smoking in unauthorized areas. Johnson was one of the few exceptions because she hadn’t tried to smoke in her room. That bothers Donna Berg, the daughter of Lucille Conaway, a roommate of Johnson and one of the others who died in the fire. ‘I am appalled that a severely mentally ill person with suicidal tendencies would be placed in an adult care facility such as Arlington Manor, where she had access to matches and-or a lighter, a persons who has already set one fire in another facility,’ Berg said.” (Associated Press. “Investigators blame boarding home fire on resident’s suicide.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 12-14-1998, A4.)

 

2003, AP: “Arlington, Wash. (AP) — Five years have passed since that night when flames swept through the Arlington Manor boarding home, killing eight women, most of them elderly. But today, hundreds of Washington’s most vulnerable people are safer because of state efforts to get sprinklers installed in older buildings, a drive sparked by the Arlington deaths. ‘There are over 900 (boarding home) clients who now have instant firefighters on duty seven days a week,’ deputy state fire marshal Larry Glenn said. ‘You bet they are safer. Sprinkler systems do work.’

 

“The April 27, 1998, blaze at Arlington Manor was Snohomish County’s more deadly fire. It attracted national attention. ‘There were no sprinklers in the boarding home, which housed 32 people, many of whom were Alzheimer’s patients or had developmental disabilities and mental disorders.

 

“Gov. Gary Locke responded by pulling together a task force that recommended the state do what it could to make sure fire-suppression sprinklers were installed in more than 100 adult boarding homes located in older buildings around the state. Lawmakers set aside $2.5 million for grants to help owners cover the cost. That program is scheduled to end in June. Virtually all of the $2.5 million has been spent, paying for sprinkler installations in more than 40 boarding homes around the state, including three homes in Snohomish County, said Glenn, who has been involved with the program since its inception. That’s good news for Sheree Berg, a Marysville bookkeeper and tax preparer whose grandmother, Lucille Conaway, 82, died in the Arlington Manor fire. ‘When you have something as devastating as this happen, you need something positive to come out of it,’ she said. ‘At least we have protected that many more people.’

 

“Arlington Manor, a 1908 building that once housed Arlington Hospital, had been operated as a boarding home by Jora Inc. of California since 1979. In addition to not being equipped with sprinklers, investigators determined safety lapses contributed to the destruction at Arlington Manor. Fire alarms weren’t maintained, and a heavy fire door or a stairwell had been blocked open, allowing smoke to spread throughout the building, records show.” (AP. “Tragedy leads to laws to protect boarding homes with sprinklers.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, 5-12-2003, A3.)

 

2014, Everett Herald: “April 27, 1998 — Fire raced through the Arlington Manor boarding home, killing eight women, most of them elderly. The deadliest fire in county history led to sprinkler systems being installed at more than 100 boarding homes around the state.” (Everett Herald, WA. “Deadliest events in Snohomish County history.” 3-25-2014.”

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Care center blaze kills 7 in Arlington. Officials suspect tragedy linked to smoking in bed.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, 4-28-1998, pp. 1 and 2. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-apr-28-1998-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “Fatal blaze may have been arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-5-1998, p. 9. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-may-05-1998-p-9/

 

Associated Press. “Fire not the first tragedy woman, 90, has survived.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p. 6. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-apr-29-1998-p-6/

 

Associated Press. “Investigators blame boarding home fire on resident’s suicide.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 12-14-1998, A4. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-chronicle-dec-14-1998-p-5/

 

Associated Press. “Investigators not sure that care-center fire was arson.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 5-7-1998, p. 9. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-may-07-1998-p-9/

 

Associated Press. “Last check found few infractions at facility.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 4-29-1998, p. 1. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-apr-29-1998-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “Police close case on fatal home fire.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 8-12-1998, A4. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-chronicle-aug-12-1998-p-4/

 

Associated Press. “Police: No surviving suspects in fire.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. 8-13-1998, p. 14. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-aug-13-1998-p-16/

 

Associated Press. “Tragedy leads to laws to protect boarding homes with sprinklers.” Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA, 5-12-2003, A3. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-may-12-2003-p-3/

 

Everett Herald, WA. “Deadliest events in Snohomish County history.” 3-25-2014. Accessed 12-7-2018 at: https://www.heraldnet.com/news/deadliest-events-in-snohomish-county-history/

 

Seattle Times (Gene Balk). “The Puget Sound area’s deadliest fires.” 1-1-2011. Accessed 12-7-2018 at: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/the-puget-sound-areas-deadliest-fires/

 

Walla-Walla Union Bulletin, WA. “State fines Arlington Fire Department.” 1-13-1998, p. 9. Accessed 12-8-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-nov-13-1998-p-9/

 

 

 

— 34  NWS Weather Forecast Office, Birmingham, AL. April 8, 1998 Tornado. 6-17-2012 mod.

–32  NCDC/NOAA. Event Record Details, Tornado, AL, Jefferson County, 8 Apr 1998.

—  2  NCDC/NOAA. Event Record Details, Tornado, AL, St. Clair County, 8 Apr 1998.

— 32  Oak Grove/Birmingham Tornado. Legates and Biddle. Quick Response Report #116, p. 2.

— 32  National Weather Service WFO Birmingham, AL. Alabama Tornado Database.

— 32  National Weather Service WFO Birmingham, AL. Top Ten Weather Events 20^th Cent. AL

— 32  Tornado Project Online. US Killer Tornadoes of 1998.

 

Narrative Information

 

NWS WFO Birmingham, AL: “Pickens/Tuscaloosa. There were three tornadoes that have been identified as being produced by one thunderstorm that moved across central Alabama Wednesday evening [April 8]. The first tornado affected Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties, the second affected Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties, and the third affected St. Clair County.

 

“The first of three tornadoes began in extreme eastern Pickens County, just southeast of Gordo, at 7:01 pm CDT. The tornado travelled on an east-northeast track moving into Tuscaloosa County around 7:05 pm CDT. The tornado stayed in a mostly rural area through it’s life span crossing CR 21, moving just north of Lake Lurleen, crossing US 43, and dissipating at Lake Tuscaloosa just south of where SR 69 crosses the lake. The tornado ended at 7:29 pm CDT. There were no reported deaths and only two injuries in Tuscaloosa County. This tornado was rated an F3 and had a path length of 17.4 miles. Path width was estimated to be 250 yards wide.

 

“Oak Grove Tornado, Jefferson County. The second tornado produced by the supercell thunderstorm is the most significant tornado to impact Alabama since 1977. It first touched down in eastern Tuscaloosa County at 7:42 pm CDT just east of the Warrior River and moved into Jefferson County at approximately 7:50 pm CDT. Aerial surveys conducted by the National Weather Service with the help of the Alabama State Troopers Aviation Unit and the Civil Air Patrol determined that the tornado that ripped across west Jefferson County Wednesday night, April 8 ^th was an F5 tornado, the most violent tornado that occurs. F5 tornadoes have winds in excess of 260 miles per hour….

 

“The tornado track was approximately 30.6 miles long and at it’s widest point was half a mile wide. After first touching down on the east side of the Warrior River in Tuscaloosa County, the tornado crossed into Jefferson County at 7:52 pm moving just south of the town of Scrap, just inside Jefferson County. It traveled east-northeast impacting Oak Grove, Concord, Pleasant Grove, Edgewater, McDonald’s Chapel areas before ending in Pratt City. The storm reached it’s strongest intensity producing F5 damage in the Concord area and the McDonalds Chapel/Edgewater area. Interestingly, the tornado was on a trajectory that if it had stayed on the ground for an additional two or three miles the high rises in downtown Birmingham would have been affected; four more miles and the Birmingham Airport would have seen the destruction as well. The latest death toll with this storm was 32, with more than 250 injuries. More than 1000 homes were destroyed and more than 900 homes with significant damage. This death toll places this tornado as the seventh deadliest tornado in Alabama, moving one ahead of a tornado which produced 31 deaths on March 21 ^st, 1932.

 

“St. Clair County Tornado. In St. Clair County, the tornado began just north of Moody and continued on a east-northeast track for approximately 14.4 miles. This tornado was rated as an F2 on the Fujita Scale. Two deaths were reported in St. Clair County, both of them in one mobile home. This tornado began just west of US 411 around 8:56 pm CDT and almost immediately destroyed the Bethel Baptist Church, a large portion of which was under construction. The tornado traveled through primarily rural, relatively unpopulated areas before dissipating at 9:15 pm CDT after moving through Wattsville..”

 

Sources

 

Legates, David R. and Matthew D. Biddle. Quick Response Report #116: Warning Response and Risk Behavior in the Oak Grove-Birmingham, Alabama Tornado of 08 April 1998. Boulder, CO: Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado at Boulder. 1999. Accessed 5-25-2016 at: http://www2.cde.state.co.us/artemis/ucbmonos/ucb65715116internet/ucb65715116internet.pdf

 

National Climatic Data Center. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 8 Apr 1998, Jefferson County.  NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce. Accessed 2-5-2009 at:  http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~310041

 

National Climatic Data Center.  Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 8 Apr 1998, St. Clair County.  NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce.  Accessed 2-5-2009 at:  http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~310062

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Birmingham, AL. Alabama Tornado Database. NWS/NOAA. Accessed 1-4-2009 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/tornadoes/mainlist2.php

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Birmingham, AL. April 8, 1998 Tornado (website). NWS/NOAA, 6-17-2012 (last modification). Accessed 1-12-2016 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04081998

 

Tornado Project Online. US Killer Tornadoes of 1998. Accessed 1-4-2009 at: http://www.tornadoproject.com/

 

 

 

 

 

—  5  Fox, Roth, and Newman. A Deadly Partnership. 2003, p. 101.

—  5  NewspaperArchive.com.  “1998: The Jonesboro Massacre.” March 24, 2009.

 

Narrative Information

 

Fox: “On March 24, 1998, in the third and deadliest in a series of recent school shootings in a Southern community, Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, both students at Westside Middle School in Northeast Arkansas, opened fire on 96 of their classmates and teachers. As a result, four students and a teacher died and 10 others were wounded.”  (Fox, Roth, Newman 2003, 101)

 

NewspaperArchive.com: “After stealing three rifles and a handgun from their grandfather’s house, 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson and 11-year-old Andrew Golden activated the fire alarm at their Jonesboro, Arkansas school and shot into a crowd of students that were filing out from the building. Their attack killed four female students and a teacher, and left 11 others wounded.  “The older boy, angry at a former girlfriend, had warned classmates he would come back and wreak revenge, students said. ‘He told us that tomorrow you will find out if you live or die,’ said seventh-grader Melinda Henson, who described herself as a good friend of the boy,” reported The Capital on March 25, 1998.

 

“NOTE: The boys were both charged with capital murder and sentenced to confinement until they reached 21. On August 11, 2005, Mitchell Johnson was released from custody and Andrew Golden was let go on May 25, 2007. Mitchell Johnson was arrested on January 1, 2007 for possessing marijuana and a loaded 9mm pistol. He was convicted in early 2008 and is awaiting sentencing.”  (NewspaperArchive.com. “1998: The Jonesboro Massacre.” March 24, 2009.)

 

Sources

 

Fox, Cybelle, Wendy D. Roth, and Katherine Newman. “A Deadly Partnership: Lethal Violence in an Arkansas Middle School.” Chapter 4 in Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence, Committee on Law and Justice, Board on Children, Youth and Families, National Academies. Washington, DC:  National Academies Press, 2001. Accessed at:  http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10370&page=101

 

Newspaperarchive.com. “1998: The Jonesboro Massacre.” The Daily Perspective, 3-24-2009. At:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/DailyPerspectiveFullView.aspx?ViewDate=3%2f24%2f2009