lornajarrettblanchard

–81  CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998. ICD-9 code 052 (Chickenpox).

 

Narrative Information

 

CDC: “Chickenpox is a very contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It causes a blister-like rash, itching, tiredness, and fever. The rash appears first on the stomach, back and face and can spread over the entire body causing between 250 and 500 itchy blisters. Chickenpox can be serious, especially in babies, adults, and people with weakened immune systems. The best way to prevent chickenpox is to get the chickenpox vaccine.” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Chickenpox (Varicella).” 7-1-2016 update.)

 

Sources

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Chickenpox (Varicella).” 7-1-2016 update. Accessed 11-26-2018 at: https://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/about/index.html

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Wonder On-line Database. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998. ICD-9 code 052 (Chickenpox), 1998. Published 2003. Accessed 12-30-2018 at: https://wonder.cdc.gov/

 

 

 

—  19  Blanchard estimate.[1]

–>12  Taylor and Hatton. Oregon Weather Book: A State of Extremes.  1999, p. 103.

—  11  AP. “After snowstorms, Northwest now faces floods.” The Chronicle, WA, 1-1-1997, A10

—  10  AP. “Storm kills 10 as second round looms.” The Chronicle, Centralia, WA, 12-31-1996, A4.

 

California, northern (  5)

–5  NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 39, No. 1 January 1997, p. 22.

–3  Arboga, Yuba County, Jan 2-3. Drowning; flash flood; Feather River levee break.[2]

–1  Burney, Shasta County, Jan 1. Drowning; vehicle swept off road by water. (p. 23)

–1  Wilton, Sacramento County. Drowning; Cosumnes River bridge near McConnel.[3]

 

Oregon                       (  3)

–3  AP. “After snowstorms, Northwest now faces floods.” The Chronicle, Centralia, WA, 1-1-1997, A10

–1  Multnomah Falls, Dec 29. Drowned; heavy equipment operator, creek below the Falls.[4]

 

Washington                (11)

–11  (by Jan 2). Chronicle, Centralia, WA. “Damage: Winds knock out power in Seattle area.”

–10  Blanchard tally from locality and date-of-death breakouts below.

—>8  AP. “After snowstorms, Northwest now faces floods.” The Chronicle, Centralia, 1-1-1997, A10.[5]

Breakout by Locality (where noted)

–1  Belfair, Dec 26. Man killed by falling tree branch. (NCDC, 38/12, Dec 1996, pp. 103-104.)

–1  Everett/Seattle/Tacoma area, Jan 1-3. Woman, 58, killed when snow caused roof collapse.[6]

–1  Issaquah, Dec 28-29. Male (Kenneth Schmoe) killed by falling tree branch. (NCDC)[7]

–1  ~Nine-Mile Hill, Dec 30, US Hwy 12. Vehicle goes out of control; “driving rain…melting snow.”[8]

–1  Redmond, Dec 31. Tree falls on car killing man. NCDC. Storm Data, 38-12, Dec 1996, 106.[9]

–3  Snohomish County.[10] (Jan 2 article writes these were previously unreported “accidents”.)

–1  Dec 27

–2  Dec 29

–1  Locality not noted, Dec 26. Indirect snow-related traffic accident fatality. NCDC.[11]

–1  Locality not noted, Dec 28-29. Indirect snow-related traffic accident fatality. NCDC.[12]

 

Cause of Death (where noted)

 

Drowning                                           (6)

–3  CA. Arboga, Yuba County, Jan 2-3. Drowning; flash flood; Feather River levee break.

–1  CA. Burney, Shasta County, Jan 1. Drowning; vehicle swept off road by water.

–1  CA. Wilton, Sacramento County. Drowning; Cosumnes River bridge near McConnel.

–1  OR. Multnomah Falls, Dec 29. Drowned; heavy equipment operator, creek below the Falls.

 

Roof Collapse (Snow weight)           (1)

–1  WA. Everett/Seattle/Tacoma area, Jan 1-3. Woman, 58; snow caused roof collapse.

 

Tree/Tree-Branch Falls                    (3)

–1  WA. Belfair, Dec 26. Man killed by falling tree branch. (NCDC, 38/12, Dec 1996, 103-104.)

–1  WA. Issaquah, Dec 28-29. Male killed by falling tree branch. (NCDC)

–1  WA. Redmond, Dec 31. Tree falls on car. NCDC. Storm Data, 38-12, Dec 1996, 106.

 

Vehicular Accidents                          (6)

–1  WA. ~Nine-Mile Hill, Dec 30, US Hwy 12. Vehicle out of control; “driving rain…melting snow.”

–3  WA, Snohomish Co.[13] (Jan 2 article writes these were previously unreported “accidents”.)[14]

–1  Dec 27

–2  Dec 29

–1  WA. Locality not noted, Dec 26. Indirect snow-related traffic accident fatality. NCDC

–1  WA. Locality not noted, Dec 28-29. Indirect snow-related traffic accident fatality. NCDC.

 

Not Noted                                           (3)

–2  OR

–1  WA (Press reports 11 WA storm-related deaths and we find references to just 10.)

 

Narrative Information

 

NCDC, DEC 26-27, OR: “An ice storm paralyzed the Portland metropolitan area and the Columbia Gorge. Ice accumulations of 4 to 5 inches were reported within the Columbia Gorge. Interstate 84 through the Gorge was closed for 4 days. Widespread electricity outages and hundreds of downed trees and power lines were reported in the Portland area.” (Storm Data, 38/12, Dec 1996, p. 82.)

 

NCDC, Dec 26-31, OR: “Heavy rains caused 16 rivers in Northwest Oregon to flood during the last week of December and continued into early January. Dozens of homes were flooded on various rivers and numerous highways were rendered impassable.” (Storm Data, 38/12, Dec 1996, p. 82.)

 

NCDC, Dec 26, WA: “Heavy snow fell over much of the Seattle-Everett metro area. Some of the snow in the south parts mixed with sleet. By afternoon up to 6 inches had fallen in Snohomish and by 10 pm Edmunds accumulated 10 inches. Seatac airport cancelled almost 400 flights and there were 1000’s of people stranded at the airport. There were about 250 buses stuck with only 30% in service. Almost every hotel from Seatac to Tacoma was full. Arthur McKaig, of Belfair, died with a tree branch fell on top of him. There were many traffic accidents, one with a fatality that was not directly caused by the snow.” (NCDC. Storm Data, 38/12, Dec 1996, pp. 103-104.)

 

Taylor and Hatton: “Northwest Dec. 30, 1996 to Jan. 5, 1997…Mild subtropical moisture persisted over the entire Northwest for several days, causing heavy rain and rapid snowmelt. This flood affected a large region from California to Idaho with a total of seventy counties declared disasters and estimated damage totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Washington Governor Mike Lowry declared nineteen counties disaster areas and more than a dozen storm-related deaths were reported. In Oregon eight counties were declared disaster areas. Hardest hit was Ashland in southern Oregon where 21,000 residents tried to cope with a river running through the middle of town.” (Taylor and Hatton. Oregon Weather Book: A State of Extremes.  1999, p. 103.)

 

Newspaper

 

Dec 31: “Seattle….At least 10 people have died in Washington and Oregon since Thursday [Dec 26] as a result of back-to-bank storms that dumped up to 2 feet of snow, aggravated by periods of freezing rain. Then came a new twist. The temperature climbed into the high 40s, more than 20 degrees above the temperature during the height of the wintry blast, and heavy rains helped turn the snow into a sodden mess. Nearly 3 inches of rain fell in Seattle in a 24-hour period that ended early Monday.

 

“The storms caused mudslides and avalanches, stranded travelers and knocked out power to tens of thousands of people.

 

“…Flood warnings were posted for four major rivers in Western Washington, the Chehalis, Skookumchuck, Skokomish and White….

 

“Washington’s major highways across the Cascade mountains remained closed this morning….

 

“About 40,800 customers of Puget Sound Power & Light remained without electricity late Monday in Western Washington….In Oregon, Portland General Electric Co. said about 4,500 homes and businesses, mostly in eat Multnomah County, still were without power Monday night. Some had been without electricity since Thursday.

 

“Dozens of flat roofs on stores in the Puget Sound area collapsed under the weight of heavy, rain-sodden snow….”  (Associated Press, Seattle. “Storm kills 10 as second round looms.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 12-31-1996, A4.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press, Seattle. “After snowstorms, Northwest now faces floods.” The Chronicle, Centralia, 1-1-1997, A10. Accessed 7-25-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-chronicle-jan-01-1997-p-10/

 

Associated Press, Portland. “Serious flood threat growing in Oregon.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 12-30-1996, A4. Accessed 7-25-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-chronicle-dec-30-1996-p-4/

 

Associated Press, Seattle. “Storm kills 10 as second round looms.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 12-31-1996, A4. Accessed 7-25-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-chronicle-dec-31-1996-p-4/

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 38, No. 12, December 1996. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 7-25-2018 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-C6DE7285-D15C-445B-9DD2-FC955EDD74B3.pdf

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 39, No. 1, January 1997. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 7-25-2018 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-BB4CE37B-48C5-4A51-A39A-5AA742886F70.pdf

 

Taylor, George H. and Raymond R. Hatton. Oregon Weather Book: A State of Extremes.  Corvallis: Oregon Sate University Press, 1999.

 

The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. “Damage: Winds knock out power in Seattle area.” 1-2-1997, p. 8. Accessed 7-25-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-chronicle-jan-02-1997-p-8/

 

Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA. “First area death tied to rash of nasty weather occurs near Nine-Mile Hill.” 12-31-1996, p. 1. Accessed 7-25-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-dec-31-1996-p-1/

 

Other Sources Consulted

 

National Weather Service. Special Climate Summary — 97/1.. Flooding in the Pacific Northwest. NOAA, NWS, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, Climate Prediction Center. January 1997. Accessed 7-25-2018 at: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/special_summaries/97_1/

 

 

[1] Based on reports of 11 deaths in WA and 3 in OR between Dec 26 and Jan 2, and 5 in CA Jan 1-3.

[2] NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 39, No. 1, Jan 1997, p. 23.

[3] NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 39, No. 1, Jan 1997, p. 23.

[4] Victim identified as Leroy Leis, 45. (Associated Press, Portland. “Serious flood threat growing in Oregon.” The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA, 12-30-1996, A4.)

[5] “The Washington death toll from weather-related accidents since last week climbed to at least eight on Tuesday when a tree fell onto a car in the Seattle suburb of Redmond, killing a man inside….The tree was standing in swollen Bear Creek alongside a roadway when it gave way and crashed, roots and all. A 47-year-old Redmond man was killed and a child in the car was injured…”

[6] NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 39, No. 1, Jan 1997, p. 156.

[7] NCDC. Storm Data, 38/12, Dec 1996, p. 104.

[8] Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA. “First area death tied to rash of nasty weather occurs near Nine-Mile Hill.” 12-31-1996, p. 1. Paper identifies the victim as Steven A. Acarregui, 34, a passenger in a vehicle which “went out of control on the slushy roadway…”

[9] Also AP, Seattle. “After snowstorms, Northwest now faces floods.” The Chronicle, Centralia, 1-1-1997, A10.

[10] The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. “Damage: Winds knock out power in Seattle area.” 1-2-1997, p. 8.

[11] NCDC. Storm Data, 38/12, Dec 1996, pp. 103-104.

[12] NCDC. Storm Data, 38/12, Dec 1996, p. 104.

[13] The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. “Damage: Winds knock out power in Seattle area.” 1-2-1997, p. 8.

[14] Our impression is these were vehicular accidents based on: “The Washington death toll from weather-caused accidents in the storms that began Dec 26 climbed now stands at 11. The new figure includes three previously unreported deaths in Snohomish County, two on Sunday and one on Friday.”

—  11  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

—  11  NTSB. HAB. Collision With Jackknifed Semitrailer, Mendota, CA, Nov 16, 1997.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB: “Accident Description

 

“A witness behind the van stated that the van’s driver drove into the opposing lane of State Route 180 traffic at about 55 mph to pass two cars. (See figure 1.) The truck driver stated that he saw the van’s headlights through the fog traveling toward him in his lane. He said he braked, skidded, and jackknifed into the opposing lane. The van struck the right side of the tractor. Eleven of the 12 van occupants were killed. The right-rear van passenger sustained serious injuries, and the truck driver sustained minor injuries.

 

“State/Federal Oversight

 

“California has adopted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations with some variances; none of the variances were pertinent to the carrier or driver at the time of the accident. The carrier had been inspected under the California Highway Patrol’s Biennial Inspection of Terminals Program in 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999. In June 1997, the carrier received an unsatisfactory rating, mostly for hours-of-service violations and vehicle defects. In September 1997, the carrier was reinspected and given a satisfactory rating.

 

“Probable Cause.  The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the van driver’s poor judgment in attempting to pass other vehicles in the fog.”  (NTSB. HAB. Collision With Jackknifed Semitrailer, Mendota, CA, Nov 16, 1997.

 

Sources

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Highway Accident Brief. Collision With Jackknifed Semitrailer, Mendota, California, November 16, 1997 (HWY-98-SH-008). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 17, 2002, 2 pages. At: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2002/HAB0211.pdf

 

 

 

 

—  10  NCDC. Storm Events Database. Blizzard. Search Results for All Counties in Colorado.

–1  Bent County/Las Animas and vicinity, Oct 24-26. Male, 40, hunting, froze. NCDC.

–1  Otero County, Oct 24-26. Female, 76, froze, after leaving stranded car. NCDC SED.

–4  El Paso County/Colorado Springs and vicinity, Oct 24-25.[1]

Males, 20, 29, and 63, female, 30, all in vehicles (3 CO poisoning, 1 freezing).[2]

–1  Kit Carson Co. ~Stratton, Oct 25. Boy, 11, hypothermia; wandered away from home.[3]

–1  Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties, Oct 24-25. Male, 31, vehicular.

–1  Weld Co., Oct 24-25. Male, 26; CO poisoning, snow clogged vehicle exhaust pipe.[4]

–1  Weld Co., Oct 24-25. Female, 23; lost control of car in blinding storm.[5]

 

Narrative Information

 

NCDC: “While blizzards are not uncommon in Colorado, the widespread areal extent of this blizzard was, perhaps a one in 50 year event. A powerful low pressure system moved in from the northwest through Utah, and settled into northern New Mexico. Meantime, arctic air invaded eastern Colorado, setting the stage for high winds, below zero wind chill values, heavy snow, and widespread life threatening conditions. The heavy snow began in the southwest mountains early on Friday morning the 24th. Snow spread across the Eastern San Juan and La Garita Mountains into the San Luis Valley, Upper Arkansas Valley, Wet Mountain Valley, and Sangre de Cristo Mountains through Friday morning. Snow began spreading across the eastern plains by midday Friday. By Friday evening the arctic high pressure and low pressure to the south intensified, and blizzard conditions began in the eastern mountains and across the plains.

 

“Blizzard conditions persisted, except for a brief break early Saturday morning, through Saturday night into the extreme eastern plains. The scope and length of blizzard conditions proved fatal for several eastern Coloradans. Three people in El Paso county perished from carbon monoxide poisoning after waiting for help to come in their snowbound vehicles for over 24 hours. Another person froze to death in a vehicle on post at Fort Carson in the Colorado Springs area. An elderly women in Otero county tried to walk home after her vehicle became stuck in open country. She froze to death. A man in Bent county froze to death in open country while hunting, or looking for other hunters. Another man died in a vehicle accident in Pueblo during the blizzard Friday night.

 

“Two people were injured in Colorado Springs when a canopy at a gas station collapsed under the weight of deep snow on top. Another canopy at a gas station in Lamar collapsed, but no-one was injured. A vehicle was destroyed, though. Thousands of people were stranded in eastern Colorado, and hundreds had to be rescued from their snowbound vehicles. By Saturday, the Governor declared a State of Emergency. Emergency traffic only was allowed on eastern Colorado roadways. Rescues were made by the U.S. Army in Humvees and by helicopter, the National Guard, law enforcement, other public resources, and private citizens. The combination of high wind and heavy snow caused power lines to come down. Power outages occurred (and lasted up to two days) in many parts of the area, most notably in parts of Colorado Springs, in and around Pueblo, and in southeast Colorado from McClave in Bent county to Holly in Prowers county. Hundreds of businesses and stores were closed throughout much of the weekend, and temporary sales and production loses were in the millions of dollars. Many school districts were closed for a part, or all of the following week, as the digging out process continued. Extra costs for snow removal in both the private and public sector from overtime wages certainly ran into the millions of dollars area-wide.

 

“Not only did humans suffer, but there was a widespread die off of range cattle. Estimates of around 20,000 dead cattle and calves were given. Untold numbers were saved by hay drops carried out by the Army and National Guard. Removal of dead cattle and feeding of remaining cattle cost millions of dollars.

 

“Snow amounts with the blizzard were impressive. One to two feet fell in the Eastern San Juan, La Garita, and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. However, the San Luis Valley received only a few inches of snow. The Upper Arkansas Valley had six to 12 inches of snow. Generally between one and two feet fell from the Rampart Range and southern Colorado Springs, south through Pueblo, down to Trinidad, and throughout the southeast Plains. However, parts of the Wet Mountains, Beulah, Walsenburg, and some areas around La Junta had around three feet of snow. From northern Colorado Springs to the Palmer Divide, amounts were excessive. In northern Colorado Springs as much as three feet of snow fell. In the Black Forest and Monument three to four foot amounts were the norm. At Palmer Lake, on the Palmer Divide, 52 inches of snow was reported. The deep snow was blown and piled into drifts anywhere between three and 15 feet deep.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Bent County/Las Animas and Vicinity; Oct 24-26, 1997.)

 

NCDC: “A deep east to northeast flow associated with a vigorous upper level low pressure system over the Four Corners area, combined with a strong Arctic airmass in the central plains, to create deadly blizzard conditions across all of eastern Colorado. Snowfall totals along the Urban Corridor and adjacent plains generally ranged from 14 to 30 inches. The heaviest snowfall occurred in the foothills west and southwest of Denver where 2 to 4 feet of snow was reported. In addition, sustained winds to 40 mph (35 kts) with gusts as high as 60 mph (52 kts) caused zero visibilities and deadly wind chill temperatures to dip between 25 below and 40 below zero. The blizzard stirred up snowdrifts ranging from 4 to 10 feet in depth. Several major highways and interstates were closed as conditions became life threatening and travel impossible. Red Cross shelters were set up for hundreds of travelers who became stranded and were forced to abandon their vehicles. In the mountains, sustained winds to 70 mph (61 kts) with peak wind gusts to 110 mph (96 kts) were recorded above 12,000 feet at the Breckenridge Ski Area.

 

“The blizzard was responsible, either directly or indirectly, for the deaths of 4 people in northeast Colorado. One man died of carbon monoxide poisoning when he became stranded in his vehicle and the snow clogged the exhaust pipe. A woman died when she lost control of the car in the blinding storm. In addition, 2 elderly men died from heart attacks while shoveling snow.

 

“At Denver International Airport (DIA), 4,000 travelers were stranded when the airport was forced to shut down. At least 120 cars were abandoned along Pena Blvd, the only arterial leading into and out of DIA. The blizzard cost air carriers at least $20 million. In Weld County, nearly 3,000 head of cattle died in the storm resulting in an estimated $1.5 million loss.

 

“Some of the more impressive snowfall totals included: 51 inches at Coal Creek Canyon, 48 inches at Silver Spruce Ranch and Monument Hill, 42 inches at Intercanyon, 37 inches at Sedalia, 36 inches at Foxton, 35 inches at Aspen Springs and Conifer, 32 inches at Elizabeth, 31 inches at Eldorado Springs, southeast Aurora and Englewood, with 30 inches reported at Allenspark, Sunshine Canyon and Table Mesa near Boulder.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Northeastern Weld County, Oct 24-25, 1997.)

 

Sources

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Bent County/Las Animas and Vicinity; Oct 24-26, 1997. Accessed 1-21-2015 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5621991

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity, Oct 24-26, 1997. Accessed 1-21-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5621988

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, El Paso County/Colorado Springs and vicinity, Oct 24-25, 1997. Accessed 1-21-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5621983

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Kit Carson County, Oct 25, 1997. Accessed 1-21-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5622197

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Northeastern Weld County, Oct 24-25, 1997. Accessed 1-21-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5616598

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties, Oct 24-25, 1997. Accessed 1-21-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5621985

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Southern Weld County/Greeley and Vicinity, Oct 24-25, 1997. Accessed 1-21-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5616691

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard. Search Results for All Counties in Colorado, Oct 24-25, 1997. Accessed 1-21-2017 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28Z%29+Blizzard&beginDate_mm=10&beginDate_dd=24&beginDate_yyyy=1997&endDate_mm=10&endDate_dd=26&endDate_yyyy=1997&county=ALL&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=8%2CCOLORADO

[1] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs & Vic.

[2] The person who froze to death was in a vehicle on post at Fort Carson near Colorado Springs.

[3] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Kit Carson County, Oct 25-26, 1997.

[4] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Northeastern Weld County, Oct 24-25, 1997.

[5] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Blizzard, Colorado, Southern Weld County/Greeley and Vicinity.

—  11  Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. “Collision kills 11 in California.” 9-11-1997, p. 3A.

—  11  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

—  11  Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Eleven killed…in crash on California highway.” 9-10-1997, 2.

 

Narrative Information

 

Sep 10: “Lompoc — A van full of people collided with a pickup truck on a twisting coastal highway under repair, killing 11 and injuring four others, authorities said today.  Both vehicles burst into flames after Tuesday night’s [Sep 9] accident that closed a 15-mile stretch of scenic Highway 1, the California Highway Patrol said.

 

“Six bodies were found inside the charred wreckage of the van, and two others were found on the

road.  Three bodies were recovered from the truck, including that of a child.

 

“The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, where emergency personnel said they were too busy to provide information.

 

“The accident happened on the scenic highway at about 9:50 p.m. and both vehicles were engulfed in flames by the time rescue crews arrived.  The highway runs near the San Julian Ranch, about 10 miles south of this small community located 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

 

“Heavy construction and concrete barriers are near the crash site and a fire department spokesman said drivers often speed through that section of winding highway.  “Highway 1 at that section is not built for high speeds, although people continue to drive it that way,” said John Scott, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.  “There are a lot of blind curves there and when it is dark it makes it extraordinarily dangerous”.”  (Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Eleven killed, four injured in crash on California highway.” 9-10-1997, 2.)

 

Sep 11: “Los Angeles (AP) – Eleven people — most of them returning to Los Angeles after a day of selling corn — were killed in the fiery head-on crash of a packed van and a pickup on scenic California highway.  “I haven’t seen anything this horrendous,” California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Everly said Wednesday. Tuesday night’s collision left wreckage burning for hours and victims and ears of corn strewn across Highway 1 between Lompoc and Santa Barbara, about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

 

“The names of the dead, eight from a Chevrolet van carrying a dozen people and three from a Ford pickup truck, weren’t released.  They were charred beyond recognition and the coroner’s office said identification wasn’t expected for days.  “No one is telling us who they were and we haven’t been able to find any identification,” said Sgt. Tom Nelson of the Santa Barbara County coroner’s office. Four people survived, two in critical condition.  Two of them said they had been selling corn in Lompoc during the day and were heading home to the San Fernando Valley.  Survivors spoke only Spanish, and one said he had arrived in the United States from Mexico only eight days earlier.

 

“According to a preliminary investigation by the highway patrol, the pickup went over the double yellow line and hit the van.  Witnesses said the pickup had been passing vehicles.

 

“Three off-duty correctional officers arrived shortly after the crash and pulled people from the van.  They said they saw a woman hanging out the window of the burning van and tried to pull her out, but her seat belt was holding her in.  The flames apparently burned the belt at one point and they pulled her free.  “I can still hear that person screaming,” county jail guard Charles Powell said 14 hours later.”  (Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. “Collision kills 11 in California.” 9-11-1997, p. 3A.)

Sources

 

Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. “Collision kills 11 in California.” 9-11-1997, p. 3A. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/gazette/1997-09-11/page-3/

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Eleven killed, four injured in crash on California highway.” 9-10-1997, 2. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-daily-journal/1997-09-10/page-2/

 

 

 

 

—  11  NCDC/NOAA.  Event Record Details, Flash Flood, 12 Aug 1997, 02:30 PM MST.

 

Narrative Information

 

NCDC: “Eleven hikers and tourists were drowned by a flash flood in a narrow slot canyon 5 miles southeast of Page. A severe thunderstorm 3 to 5 miles upstream produced very heavy rain causing a 10-30 foot wall of water to crash down Antelope Canyon. In the area of the flood fatalities the depth and width of Antelope Canyon varies from about 20 feet across and 30 feet deep to points where it is 200 feet deep but only two (2) feet across. It is a popular site for hiking and photography where access is via rope ladders controlled by Navajo Nation representatives. The eleven who died and a tour guide were warned not to enter the canyon because of the flood potential from an approaching thunderstorm. The tour guide alone survived after being carried several miles downstream by the flood.”  (NCDC/NOAA)

 

NCDC Event Fatality Details:

Female, 19

Female, 20

Female, 24

Female, 28

Female, 32

Female, 37.

Male, 22

Male, 29

Male, 36

Male, 40

Male, 45.

 

(NCDC. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood, Arizona, Coconino County, Aug 12, 1997.

 

Sources

 

National Climatic Data Center. Event Record Details, Flash Flood, Arizona, 12 Aug 1997, 02:30 PM MST.  NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce.  Accessed 2/2/2009 at:  http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~282022

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood, Arizona, Coconino County, Aug 12, 1997. Accessed 1-22-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5611379

 

 

–229  NTSB AAR. Controlled Flight into Terrain, Korean Air…801…Guam, Aug 6, 1997. P.1.[1]

—    3  Flight Crew.

—  11  Cabin Crew.

–214  Passengers (eventually, 215).[2]

–228  Sturkey. Mayday. Accident Reports…Transcripts…Airline Crash Investigations. 2005, 350.

—  13  Blanchard. NYT on Aug 7 notes 12 U.S. deaths. DoD notes U.S. survivor died Aug 10.[3]

—  12  New York Times. “29 Survive the Guam Crash, but Hope for Others Ends.” 8-7-1997.

—  10  Americans (of 13). (Wikipedia. “Korean Air Flight 801.” 12-30-2017.)[4]

–1  Grace Chung, 11, Aug 10 at Army Burn Center, Fort Sam Houston, TX.[5]

–1  Mrs. Chung (mother of Grace), killed in the crash.

–1  Sister of Grace Chung, killed in the crash.

–1  Brother of Grace Chung, killed in the crash.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB: “Abstract: This report explains the accident involving Korean Air flight 801, a Boeing 747-300, which crashed into high terrain at Nimitz Hill, Guam, on August 6, 1997. Safety issues in the report focus on flight crew performance, approach procedures, and pilot training; air traffic control, including controller performance and the inhibition of the minimum safe altitude warning system at Guam; emergency response; the adequacy of Korean Civil Aviation Bureau and Federal Aviation Administration oversight; and flight data recorder documentation. Safety recommendations concerning these issues are addressed to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Governor of the Territory of Guam, and the Korean Civil Aviation Bureau.” (Abstract page.)

 

NTSB Executive Summary: “On August 6, 1997, about 0142:26 Guam local time, Korean Air flight 801, a Boeing 747-3B5B (747-300), Korean registration HL7468, operated by Korean Air Company, Ltd., crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam. Flight 801 departed from Kimpo International Airport, Seoul, Korea, with 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 14 flight attendants, and 237 passengers on board. The airplane had been cleared to land on runway 6 Left at A.B. Won Guam International Airport, Agana, Guam, and crashed into high terrain about 3 miles southwest of the airport. Of the 254 persons on board, 228 were killed, and 23 passengers and 3 flight attendants survived the accident with serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. Flight 801 was operating in U.S. airspace as a regularly scheduled international passenger service flight under the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 129 and was on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the Korean Air flight 801 accident was the captain’s failure to adequately brief and execute the nonprecision approach and the first officer’s and flight engineer’s failure to effectively monitor and cross-check the captain’s execution of the approach. Contributing to these failures were the captain’s fatigue and Korean Air’s inadequate flight crew training. Contributing to the accident was the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) intentional inhibition of the minimum safe altitude warning system (MSAW) at Guam and the agency’s failure to adequately manage the system….” (p. xi.) (NTSB. Aircraft Accident Report. Controlled Flight into Terrain, Korean Air Flight 801, Boeing 747-300, HL7468, Nimitz hill, Guam, August 6, 1997 (NTSB/AAR-00/01).)

 

Sturkey: “Overview: A Boeing 747 began a non-precision approach to the airport on the island of Guam… The airline descended prematurely and crashed into Nimitz Hill three miles short of the runway. There were 254 people aboard, and the impact and fire killed 228 of them…” (p. 350.)

 

Newspapers

 

Aug 6: “The Associated Press. Agana, Guam — A Korean Air jet that crashed into the dense jungle of Guam early today plowed through rocky hills in a ball of fire just three miles from its destination. At least 35 of the 254 people on board survived. Screams from the wreckage pierced the early morning stillness after the Boeing 747 from Seoul, South Korea, came to rest in a deep ravine on this U.S. island possession 4,000 miles west of Honolulu.

 

“Flight 801 was carrying mostly Korean tourists…when it crashed in a driving rain just before 8 a.m. Alaska time Tuesday. At least 13 Americans were on board.

 

“Gov. Carl Guiterrez, one of the first people on the scene, said rain-soaked Sawgrass covering the rocks made it so slippery it was impossible to carry survivors more than a few hazardous steps. Rescuers had to make their way through mud and the towering, razor-sharp Sawgrass….

 

“The plane…was trying to land at an airport that lacked both a crucial landing system and a government-staffed control tower….” (AP. “At least 35 survive crash of Korean Air 747 in Guam.” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK, 8-6-1997, p. 1.)

 

Aug 7: “….There were 15 Americans on the plane, 3 of whom survived….”

(New York Times. “29 Survive the Guam Crash, but Hope for Others Ends.” 8-7-1997.)

 

Sources

 

American Forces Press Service (Douglas J. Gillert). “One Crash Victim Dies, Three Cling to Life at Burn Center.” DoD News, 8-12-1997. Accessed 1-4-2018 at: http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=41097

 

Associated Press. “At least 35 survive crash of Korean Air 747 in Guam.” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK, 8-6-1997, p. 1. Accessed 1-3-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-aug-06-1997-p-1/

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Controlled Flight into Terrain, Korean Air Flight 801, Boeing 747-300, HL7468, Nimitz hill, Guam, August 6, 1997 (NTSB/AAR-00/01). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 1-13-2000, 226 pages. Accessed 1-3-2018 at: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR0001.pdf

 

New York Times (Andrew Pollack). “29 Survive the Guam Crash, but Hope for Others Ends.” 8-7-1997. Accessed 1-4-2018 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/07/world/29-survive-the-guam-crash-but-hope-for-others-ends.html

 

Sturkey, Marion F. Mayday. Accident Reports and Voice Transcripts from Airline Crash Investigations. Plum Branch, SC: Heritage Press International, 2005.

 

Wikipedia. “Korean Air Flight 801.” 12-30-2017. Accessed 1-4-2018 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Flight_801

 

 

 

 

[1] NTSB notes 228 deaths. After noting 228 fatalities notes that this figure includes one survivor who died within 30 days of the accident and that “According to 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 830.2, such fatalities are to be included in the total number of fatal injuries.” Goes on to note, however, that “A passenger with serious injuries died at the U.S. Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas on October 10, 1997, but is not officially listed as a fatality because the passenger’s death occurred more than 30 days after the accident.” (p. 1.) Thus there were actually 229 total deaths.

[2] As noted above, additionally, an injured passenger died a little more than 2 months later in US Army Med. Cen. In San Antonio. In that this death was beyond 30-day reporting period it was not included in NTSB death toll.

[3] We show, below, Wikipedia figure of ten U.S. deaths, and note that no source is cited. We choose to base our figure on the New York Times and Department of Defense reports cited herein.

[4] No source cited.

[5] American Forces Press Service (Douglas J. Gillert). “One Crash Victim Dies, Three Cling to Life at Burn Center.” DoD News, 8-12-1997. Article notes she was one of four survivors transported to the Brooke Army Medical Center. Adds: “Chung, of Marietta, Ga., had been the only American survivor of the fiery Aug. 5 crash that also claimed the lives of her mother, sister and brother. Her father…wasn’t on the flight…”

— 10  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

— 10  WRAL, Raleigh, NC.  “10 Plymouth High School Students Killed In…” 7-30-1997.

 

Narrative Information

 

July 31: “Plymouth, N.C. — A big rig truck slammed into a sport utility vehicle carrying high school band students that had tried to pass in a no-passing zone on a country road on Wednesday, killing nine.  The driver of the teen-agers’ Ford Explorer lost control after crossing the center line to pass a car, said Renee Hoffman, state Highway Patrol spokeswoman.  The Explorer “skidded sideways and was what we referred to as T-boned by the tractor-trailer rig, which means it literally hit the side of the van,” Hoffman said.

 

“It was not immediately known how many of the nine victims were members of the Plymouth High School band.  One critically injured person was taken to a local hospital.

 

“The truck driver was not seriously injured, Hoffman said.  The students were taking a lunch break from summer band camp at the school, said Elena Barber, a school secretary.  The names of the victims were not immediately released.”  (Daily Herald, Chicago, IL. “Crash kills nine in N. Carolina.” 7-31-1997, 3.)

 

July 30: “Plymouth — Mangled metal is all that’s left of a Ford Explorer that was involved in one of this state’s deadliest traffic accidents Wednesday afternoon.  Ten high school students are dead and the small Washington County town of Plymouth is devastated.

 

“The Plymouth High School students were on their way back to school from a band camp when the accident happened around 2:15 p.m.  Troopers say the Explorer skidded sideways as its teenage driver was trying to illegally pass three cars on N.C. 45 just a few miles north of Plymouth.  He lost control of the vehicle and was broad-sided by a tractor-trailer.  Officials said rain had made the highway slippery.

 

“Band member Marlon Norman says all 10 students were his friends.  ‘It’s almost like a bad dream,’ Beth Floyd, who knew two of the students, said Wednesday after the wreck.  ‘Maybe we’ll wake up tomorrow and it won’t have happened. But I’m afraid it will be harder. They were good kids.’  The students were ‘lunch buddies,’ said Elena Barber, a secretary at the 700-student Plymouth High School.

 

“Principal Bill Sermons says these were all kids who had plans and dreams.  Sermon added that the school’s counseling room will remain open as long as the town of Plymouth needs it.

 

“Killed in the accident were Damien Burden, 17, who was driving the Explorer, his brother Bobby Burden, 15, Rico Blount, 14, Rashad Malik, 15, Norman Wilson Jr., 15, Clayton Chesson II, 14, Erica Downing, 15, Christy Toodle, 15, and Felicia Davis, 15. Marcus Bratts, 16, died later at Washington County Hospital.  All were riding in the Explorer.

 

“Waters said the students were on a lunch break when the accident occurred.

 

“By 6 p.m., crews were working to clear the road of debris. Bodies and musical instruments were strewn along the rural eastern North Carolina road after the accident, said Doward Jones Jr., editor of the weekly newspaper The Roanoke Beacon in Plymouth and one of the first people on the scene….

 

“Speed didn’t appear to be a factor. Witnesses told police the vehicle was going about 55 mph on the straight and flat two-lane road just outside of this town of 4,000 residents.

 

“`There were some of the people still in their seat belts,’ said state Highway Patrol Lt. Wayne Taylor. ‘Ten people is a lot of people for a Ford Explorer. We probably will never know what happened.’

 

“Four bodies were found in the roadway and six more in the Explorer, said Trooper P.T. Clark. Nine of the victims died at the scene; the other died on the way to a hospital.

 

“The victims’ bodies were in Greenville, where Dr. M.G.F. Gilliland, medical examiner for the state’s northeast region, was investigating the deaths. She planned to release the bodies to relatives later today, said Betsy Seidel, spokeswoman for Pitt County Memorial Hospital.

 

“The driver of the truck, David Neal Griffin, 43, of Edenton, was treated for minor injuries and released, Taylor said.

 

“Bits of plastic and pieces of the Explorer littered the highway. A broken clarinet lay beside an instrument case on the grassy shoulder.  A blue cap lay on the other side of the road.  A puddle of blood was on the pavement near the truck, and 97 cents in change was scattered nearby.

 

“The Explorer’s tailgate was ripped off by the impact, which crushed the vehicle.  Rescuers had to cut off the roof to extricate the victims from the bloody seats….

 

“Word of the accident spread rapidly through the community of 4,000, and many concerned residents made their way to the accident scene at the busy intersection of N.C. 45 and Mackeys Road.  ‘I don’t know any other word except disbelief,’ said band director Leroy Bland….

 

“Taylor said the wreck was one of the worst in North Carolina history and the worst he had ever seen.

 

“A 1957 accident in Cumberland County involving a van and a truck carrying farm workers killed 20 people.  An accident in Lenoir County in 1964 resulted in 10 fatalities.  Last August, a wreck involving a passenger van and a tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 north of Durham killed eight people.”  (WRAL, NC.  “10 Plymouth High School Students Killed In…” 7-30-1997.)

 

Sources

 

Daily Herald, Chicago, IL. “Crash kills nine in N. Carolina.” 7-31-1997, 3.  Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/daily-herald/1997-07-31/page-3/

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

WRAL.com, Raleigh, NC. “10 Plymouth High School Students Killed In…” 7-30-1997. Accessed at:  http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/164514/

 

 

 

—  11  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

—  11  New York Times.  “In Michigan, Many Rally to Pay for Burials.” 8-4-1997.

 

Narrative Information

 

July 30: “Concord Township, Mich. – A dump truck pulling a bulldozer collided with a pickup truck at an intersection in south-central Michigan on Tuesday, killing 10 people, including eight children in the pickup.  Three other children in the pickup were critically injured.  The driver of the dump truck was not hurt.  All the children involved appeared to be under 10.  The survivors were flown by helicopter to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.  Three boys, aged 6 months, 3 and 5, were listed in critical condition.” (Altoona Mirror (PA).  “Michigan Collision Leaves 10 Dead,” July 30, 1997, p. 4., col. 1.)

 

Aug 4, NYT: “Elaine Marie Jackson will be buried on Tuesday, her 25th birthday, in the same coffin as her 3-year-old son, Jeremiah. Her 8-year-old twins, Luke and Isaiah, will share another coffin. Beside them, in two more coffins, will be her daughter Sierra, 6, and her 9-year-old son, Terry Lee Jr.  That is the way it will be, Terry Lee Jackson Sr. said, his voice soft and thinned by pain, because, even with the whole town pitching in, he does not believe he will be able to pay for his wife and their five children to each be buried on their own.

 

“After all, there are others to be tended to in this southern Michigan town of 10,200, with its trim main street and its small college, its railroad tracks and its old iron foundries, not all of them still up and running and belching out their pungent plumes.

 

“Another mother and her children must be buried: Letechia Scott, only 19, and her sons Terrance, 3, and Terron, 2. And there are the boys’ cousins, 10-year-old Ashley Orange and 5-year-old Edward Orange.

 

“The two mothers and 11 children were riding in a pickup truck last Tuesday, coming back from a hot summer afternoon of swimming at Swains Lake.  Eight of the children were in the back of the GMC pickup, under a fiberglass shell.

 

“Mrs. Jackson, the driver, ran a stop sign on a dirt road, Schultz Road, the police said. A dump truck heading south on paved Bath Mills Road rammed into the pickup truck, spinning it around and flattening it before careering off the road into a cornfield.  The two women and eight children died instantly; a ninth child died at the hospital. Two others, DeAndre Scott, Letechia Scott’s 8-month-old baby, and Adam Orange, 9, Mrs. Scott’s cousin, are still hospitalized in critical condition.

 

“As far as the police can recall, the accident was the deadliest in Michigan history. It has state legislators debating whether to outlaw riding in the back of a pickup, as one state, New Jersey, has done.

 

“More trenchantly, it has seared this working-class community, which is poorer than 90 percent of the towns in the state. Most people in town know a Jackson, a Scott or an Orange, family names that have been familiar for generations in the streets of the town and the fields around it.

 

“A lot of people also know the dump truck driver, Joseph H. Caldwell, 27, who works for his father’s small trucking company and was the only person not injured in the crash.  Mr. Caldwell, who has a good driving record, is a volunteer firefighter who always worked and never caroused, friends said, and stayed at the crash site for hours helping to find the bodies of the children.  He is so devastated he can barely talk about the accident, friends said, though he has paid visits to at least one of the victims’ families.

 

“”I saw him down at Frosty Dan’s getting a chili dog, and he seemed kind of within himself,” said Jason Shultz, a former high school classmate. ”He’s one of the better people, I guess, around here. He doesn’t deserve this, really.”

 

“Unfathomable events have the poignant, and sometimes awkward, effect of intermingling lives that do not often touch.  And so in Albion, coffee cans and cottage cheese tubs have been turned into collection baskets, the Kmart has donated funeral clothes for the victims, and on Saturday, the Fraternal Order of Eagles lodge drew almost 400 people for a spaghetti dinner with bands playing and an auctioneer taking bids for power saws and tote bags. It was $3 a person to get in, but lots of people paid more.

 

“This is significant in Albion because the Jacksons, Scotts and Oranges are very poor families, and their hard-luck lives left them struggling on the fringes of the community.

 

“Mrs. Scott, who had her first child when she was 16, got a job six months ago as a waitress at the Big Boy, a kind of a cross between a Denny’s and a 1950’s drive-in. Her husband, Terron Scott, 21, is in prison on a drug charge. Family members say he will be allowed out to attend the funeral.

 

“Mrs. Jackson was driving on Tuesday with a suspended license because of unpaid tickets for speeding and failing to yield the right of way.  She and Mr. Jackson have been together since she was 15, when they had their first child.  Mr. Jackson, 33, known as Fox, worked as a welder in a foundry for a time, but later went to a rehabilitation center for a drug problem, he said.  He got out of the center three years ago, and had not been working much since then, but said he knew he needed to look for work.  Meanwhile, the family got by on welfare.

 

“The families also stand out in Albion, residents say, because the women in the crash were white and their husbands are black.  Because of this, some people in town were surprised that the Fraternal Order of Eagles lodge, whose members are mostly white, was holding the fund-raiser. ”These kids were half-and-half, but it doesn’t matter,” said Charlotte Gibson, the Eagles bartender, who organized the event. ”Everybody can relate to losing kids.”

 

“They know it is overwhelming for Letechia Scott’s mother, Linda Orange, who shuttles the 45 miles to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, holding a vigil for her grandson and her nephew. ”That is what keeps me going,” she said. ”Waiting for them babies to come home.”

 

“And they know that the Jacksons lost their sixth child, 4-year-old Tyree, two months ago, when he was killed by a neighbor’s car while playing in the street. Then, some elementary school classes had pitched in so Tyree’s brothers and sister would have clothes to wear to his funeral.

 

“”Me and Elaine was always talking, even before Tyree died, how we’d like to have us a nice house, you know, with a fence around so the kids could play in the back,” Mr. Jackson said, his gaze frozen, his voice flat. ”I might not been perfect, but I loved my family”.”  (New York Times.  “In Michigan, Many Rally to Pay for Burials.” 8-4-1997.)

 

Sources

 

Altoona Mirror, PA. “Michigan Collision Leaves 10 Dead,” July 30, 1997, p. 4., col. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=70183826

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

New York Times. “In Michigan, Many Rally to Pay for Burials.” 8-4-1997. Accessed at:  http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/04/us/in-michigan-many-rally-to-pay-for-burials.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

 

 

 

 

–10-12  Blanchard tally based on State and local breakouts below.[1]

—     10  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Ed.). 1998, 119.

—     10  Rappaport, E. N. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1997,” MWR, Vol. 127, Sep 1998, 2021.

–5 Direct.       –5 Indirect.

—       9  NCDC. Climate Monitoring / Climate of 1997. “Hurricane Danny.” 1-23-2009 update.

—       9  NHC/Pasch. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Danny, 16-26 July 1997.

— 4 Direct.      –5 Indirect.

—       4  NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database.

 

Alabama                     (  2)

— 1  Direct. July 18. Off coast near Fort Morgan. Saltwater drowning, off sailboat; male.[2]

— 1  Indirect. AL coast. Heart attack while trying to secure boat during the storm, male.[3]

— 0  NCDC. Storm Events Database. Search for Alabama “All-County C Events,” 7/18-27/1997.

 

Georgia                      (4-5)

— 5  Blanchard tally based on breakouts below.

— 4  Indirect. July 23. Storm-related traffic accidents.[4]

— 0  NCDC. Storm Events Database. Search for Georgia “All-County C Events,” 7/18-27/1997.

Breakouts:

— 3  NE GA, July 23. Vehicular; woman, 33 and her two young children.[5]

— 1  NE GA, July 23. Vehicular; female, 16, lost control of car on rain-slicked road, hits tree.[6]

— 1?  July 23. Vehicular; car skidded into oncoming vehicle; male, 27.[7]

 

Louisiana                   (1?)

–1? Drowning. Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Ed.).[8]

–0   NCDC Storm Events Database. Search for Louisiana “All-County C Events,” 7/18-27/1997.

 

North Carolina          (3)

–3  Direct. NCDC. Storm Events Database. Flash Flood. NC. Mecklenburg. 7-23-1997.[9]

–1  Dir. Mecklenberg Co., Charlotte, July 23. Drowning; floodwater swept girl, 5, into creek.[10]

–1  Direct. Mecklenberg Co., Charlotte, July 23. Floodwater drowning; vehicular; woman, 59.[11]

–1  Direct. Mecklenberg County. Drowning, vehicular, female, 27.[12]

 

South Carolina          (1)

–1  Direct. Lexington Co., Gaston, July 23. Tornado hits duplex; female (Trina Jackson), 32.[13]

 

Narrative Information

 

NHC (Pasch): “….Hurricane Danny made its first landfall, just northwest of the Mississippi River delta near the towns of Empire and Buras, early on 18 July. Danny was a very small hurricane, and significant effects were confined to the area immediately around the eye…. After passing over extreme southeastern Louisiana, the center of Danny was back over the Gulf of Mexico, south of the coast of Mississippi, during the day on 18 July. There was a little more strengthening, and Danny reached its peak intensity of 70 knots…The slow-moving hurricane wobbled to the east, then north-northeastward, bringing the eye to the mouth of Mobile Bay, near Fort Morgan, Alabama, just before dawn on the 19th. The eyewall and western edge of the eye passed over Dauphin Island, where sustained hurricane-force winds and torrential rains were experienced. After drifting over extreme southern Mobile Bay, the center plodded eastward, practically stalled, and finally crossed the coast on the southeast shore of the bay near Mullet Point, Alabama around midday on the 19th. Danny continued to move erratically, toward the southeast over extreme southeast Alabama, while weakening to a tropical storm by 0000 UTC on the 20th. The weakening cyclone then turned northward, passing over the extreme northwest Florida panhandle. Danny, weakened to a depression by 1800 UTC on the 20th, moved north to northeastward over Alabama for two days.

 

“Satellite images showed that Danny, although very weak at the surface, still had a well-defined cyclonic cloud signature as it moved eastward over northern Georgia and South Carolina on 22-23 July. The low pressure system moved east-northeastward over North Carolina on the morning of the 24th. Around midday, as the center neared the Atlantic seaboard near the North Carolina/Virginia border, the cyclone began strengthening — while accelerating in forward speed. The fact that Danny was re-intensifying while still partially over land suggests that it may have been deriving energy from a baroclinic source. A front was situated just to the north of the cyclone around this time. Winds around Danny were already back to tropical storm force as the center moved back over water around 1900 UTC on the 24th.

 

“Just when it looked as if it were racing safely away from the coast, the storm turned north-northeastward, and slowed dramatically, as it appeared to be drawn in toward a middle- to upper-tropospheric cyclone over the northeastern United States. This motion brought Danny to about 25 n mi southeast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, around 0000 UTC 26 July. After buffeting southeastern Massachusetts, Danny lost its remaining tropical characteristics, and turned out to sea — for good. The cyclone was absorbed in a frontal zone over the north Atlantic by 1800 UTC on 27 July.” (NHC/Pasch)

Sources

 

Associated Press (Charlotte, NC). “Floodwaters kill 2 in North Carolina.” Daily News, Galveston County, TX, 7-24-1997, A10. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=110076494&sterm

 

Associated Press. “Hurricane Danny claims 1 life, to make landfall in gulf today.” Daily Herald, Chicago, 7-19-1997, A10. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=92200957&sterm

 

Associated Press. “Storms, flooding strike after Danny.” Daily News, Estherville, IA, 7-25-1997, p. 7. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=185374232&sterm=hurricane

 

Longshore, David. “Danny, Hurricane. Gulf of Mexico-Southern United States, July 16-27, 1997.” Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Edition). New York, NY:  Facts on File, 2008, p. 119.

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Climate Monitoring / Climate of 1997. “Hurricane Danny.” NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce, 1-23-2009 update. Accessed 5-5-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/hurrdanny/hurrdanny.html

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details…Flash Flood… North Carolina…Mecklenburg…7-23-1997. Accessed 5-12-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5609226

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Event Details…Tornado…F2… South Carolina…Lexington….07/23/1997. Accessed 5-12-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5602088

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Search for Louisiana “All-County C Events,” 7/18-27/1997. Accessed 5-9-2014 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?beginDate_mm=07&beginDate_dd=18&beginDate_yyyy=1997&endDate_mm=07&endDate_dd=27&endDate_yyyy=1997&eventType=%28C%29+ALL&county=ALL&zone=ALL&submitbutton=Search&statefips=22%2CLOUISIANA

 

National Hurricane Center (Richard J. Pasch). Preliminary Report. Hurricane Danny, 16-26 July 1997. Miami, FL: NHC, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, 8-21-1997. Accessed 5-5-2014 at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1997danny.html

 

Rappaport, Edward N. (Tropical Prediction Center, National Hurricane Center, NOAA/NWS, Miami, FL). “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1997,” Monthly Weather Review, V. 127, Sep 1998, pp. 2012-2026. Accessed 5-9-2014 at: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/mwr_pdf/1997.pdf

 

 

 

 

[1] Two listings have only one source and can not be verified – one in GA (vehicular) and one in LA (drowning).

[2] NHC/Pasch. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Danny, 16-26 July 1997. Date is from AP (Mobile, AL) which writes that “The first death attributed to the storm came Friday night in Fort Morgan, a beach community south of Mobile, when a deputy found a swamped sailboat on the coast with the body of an unidentified man lying in the rough surf.” (AP. “Hurricane Danny claims 1 life, to make landfall in gulf today.” Daily Herald, Chicago, 7-19-1997, A10). Rappaport. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1997,” MWR, V. 127, Sep 1998, 2021.

[3] NHC/Pasch. Preliminary Report… Danny; Rappaport. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1997,” 1998, 2021.

[4] NHC/Pasch. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Danny. Age is from AP. “Storms, flooding strike after Danny.” Daily News, Estherville, IA, 7-25-1997, p. 7; Rappaport. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1997,” MWR, V.127, 2021.

[5] AP. “Storms, flooding strike after Danny.” Daily News, Estherville, IA, 7-25-1997, p. 7. Article writes that their station-wagon skidded on rain-slicked road under wheels of a truck.

[6] AP. “Storms, flooding strike after Danny.” Daily News, Estherville, IA, 7-25-1997, p. 7.

[7] AP (Charlotte, NC). “Floodwaters kill 2 in North Carolina.” Daily News, Galveston County, TX, 7-24-1997, A10. Have not been able to find another source for such a fatality.

[8] Have not been able to find another source for such a fatality; possibly noting Louisiana rather than Alabama.

[9] “A cluster of thunderstorms producing very heavy rain sank…in the Charlotte metro area shortly before midnight of the 23rd and continued to redevelop over the area through mid-morning. Severe flash flooding resulted as nearly 10 inches of rain fell in some spots. Mecklenburg county officials requested that people not try to go to work or drive around. Numerous roads and bridges were washed out or damaged. A railroad trestle collapsed, dropping a locomotive 100 feet into a raging creek. Two women died after their vehicles became trapped in flood waters around 2 AM EST. A young girl perished around 9 AM EST when she went to play in the waters and was swept away.”

[10] NHC/Pasch. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Danny. Age is from AP. “Storms, flooding strike after Danny.” Daily News, Estherville, IA, 7-25-1997, p. 7, which writes that the woman drowned after her car flipped over. Also: Rappaport. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1997,” MWR, V. 127, Sep 1998, p. 2021.

[11] NHC/Pasch. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Danny, 16-26 July 1997.

[12] Rappaport. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1997,” MWR, V. 127, Sep 1998, p. 2021. Age is from NCDC.

[13] NHC/Pasch. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Danny, 16-26 July 1997. Age, date, name and locality are from: AP. “Storms, flooding strike after Danny.” Daily News, Estherville, IA, 7-25-1997, p. 7; Rappaport. “Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1997,” MWR, V. 127, Sep 1998, p. 2021; NCDC. Storm Events Database. Tornado. SC. Lexington.