20th Century

—  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.

–182  CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (heat due to weather conditions/hyperthermia) search.[1]

–182  Blanchard tally of State breakouts below.

—  81  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

 

Summary of 1997 Heat-Related Deaths by State

 

Alabama                     —  7

Arizona                      –23

California                   –19

District of Columbia —  3

Florida                        —  7

Illinois                         –29

Iowa                            —  1

Louisiana                   –11

Maryland                   —  4

Missouri                     —  3

Nebraska                    —  1

Nevada                       —  1

New Hampshire         —  1

New York                   —  1

North Carolina          —  5

Oklahoma                  —  5

Pennsylvania              –36

Texas                          –22

Washington                —  1

Wisconsin                   —  2

 

Breakout of Heat-Related Fatalities by State

 

Alabama         (  7)

— 7  AL DPH. “Health precautions urged during periods of prolonged heat.” 11-7-2006 mod.[2]

— 0  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Arizona          (23)

— 23  AZ DHS. Deaths from Exposure to Excessive Natural Heat…in Arizona 1992-2009. p. 17.[3]

—   0  National Weather Service, NOAA.  “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by State or Country of residence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

— 19  Arizona

—   4  Mexico or other Central or South American country

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by geographic region of occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

—  9  Border counties

–13  Central Arizona counties

—  1  Northern Arizona counties

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by gender (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–17  Male

—  6  Female

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by race/ethnicity (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–11  White non-Hispanic

—  8  Hispanic or Latino

—  4  American Indian or Alaska Native

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by age group (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

—  1      0-4

—  1  20-24

—  1  30-34

—  3  35-39

—  4  40-44

—  3  45-49

—  2  50-54

—  3  70-74

—  3  75-79

—  1  80-84

—  1  Unknown

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by County of occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 16):

—  2  Cochise

–11  Maricopa

—  1  Mohave

—  4  Pima

—  1  Pinal

—  3  Yuma

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by month of death (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 16):

—  1  May

—  2  June

—  8  July

—  8  August

—  4  September

 

California       (  7) 

— 7  Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

— 5  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Coachella Valley, Aug 2-7. Male, 25, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

— 1  Lakeside, May 29. Heatstroke; male firefighter cutting hillside holding line; temp. 98-100°.[4]

— 1  Los Angeles, Aug 5. Hyperthermia, female, 47, home with no AC; outside temp. >100 F.[5]

— 2  Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire, Aug 2-7. Female, 90, male 31, both outside.[6]

— 1  San Diego County mountains, Aug 2-7. Female, 39, location noted as “other.” NCDC SED.

— 1  San Diego County valleys, Aug 2-7. Female, 34, outside. NCDC Storm Events Database.

 

District of Co. (  3) 

— 3  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

            –2  July 13-19. Female, 64; male, 72, in permanent homes. NCDC. SED. Heat, DC.

–1  Aug 16-17. Male; residence with no air conditioning. NCDC Storm Events Database.

 

Florida            (  7) 

— 7  Lushine, James B. Figure 3, “Annual Temperature Deaths, Florida, 1979-1999.” 2009.[7]

— 1  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout by locality (where noted):

— 1  Jacksonville, Sep 12 (died Sep 13). Heatstroke; male roofer; heat index of 98°. OSHA.

— 1  Orlando, Orange County, July 3. Male, 22, found on hot asphalt parking lot; 97° day.[8]

 

Illinois             (29)

— 29  State. Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

— 26  State. National Weather Svc., NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of IL heat deaths by locality, where noted:

–16  Cook County, Chicago area, June 21-30. NCDC Storm Events Database, IL, Heat, Cook.

Males, 34, 36, 62, 68, 70, 73 and 90, all in permanent homes.

Males, 37 and 45, in vehicles

Females, 37, 62, 62, 77, 82 and 86, all in permanent homes.

–1  Chicago, June. Heatstroke; female, 86, bedroom; windows closed for a week.[9]

—  5  Cook Co., Chicago area, July 14-18. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat, IL, Cook.

— Females, 80 and 85; males, 54 and 72, all in permanent homes; female 34, vehicle.

—  1  Cook County, July 28. Male, 60, in his home; heat indices over 100 degrees F. NCDC SED.

—  1  Hardin County, Carmi area, July 2. Male, 32, construction worker; heat index 105-110°.[10]

—  2  Madison County, Madison. Heart attacks at NASCAR race “blamed on the heat…”[11]

—  1  McLean County, Bloomington, July 26-27. Female, 70, permanent home. NCDC. SED.

—  1  Vermillion Co., Danville area, July 26. Male, 64, working in farm field. NCDC SED; OSHA.

—  1  Will County, June 25. Male, 65, permanent home. NCDC. Storm Events Database.

—  1  Will County, Joliet, July 26. Heat-induces heart attack; male mail carrier; 98° day. OSHA.

 

Iowa                            (  1)

— 1  Davenport. Heart attack during 7-mile foot race blamed on heat; Charles B. Crowe, 62.[12]

— 0  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

 

Louisiana                   (  1)

–0  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

–1  New Orleans, April 11. Jared Sternbergh, 3; left in van by sitter, 4-hrs., playing video poker.[13]

 

Maryland                   (  4) 

— 4  Blanchard tally of breakouts by locality below.

— 3  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Baltimore, July 18 (body found). Female, 62; apt. with no AC or fans; inside temp. 90°.[14]

— 1  Baltimore, Aug 17. Heat-induced cardiac arrest at downtown baseball game; male, 77.[15]

— 1  Montgomery Co., July 20. Female in auto “because the vehicle’s windows were shut tight.”[16]

— 1  Montgomery County, July 27. Male, 35, collapsed while riding motorcycle. NCDC SED.[17]

 

Missouri                     (  3) 

— 3  National Weather Service, NOAA.  “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  St. Louis, June 25 (body found). Hyperthermia; male, 57, permanent home. NCDC, SED.

— 1  St. Louis (July 28 news article). Heart attack blamed on heat; female, 60.[18]

— 1  St. Louis (body found Aug 3, last seen July 13). Female, 81, permanent home. NCDC. SED.

— 1  St. Louis, Aug 17. Apparent hyperthermia; male, 49; his home garage; temps in mid 90s.[19]

 

Nebraska                    (  1)

— 1  Chapman, July 18. Heat stroke; male farm worker 4^th day of detasseling corn. OSHA.

 

Nevada                       (  1)

–1  Las Vegas Valley. NWS Las Vegas. “The Las Vegas NV Climate Summary for…2011.”[20]

 

New Hampshire         (  1)

— 0  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Nashua, March 19. Courtney Turner, 2; left by mother in car with motor running ~1 hr.[21]

 

New York                   (  1)

— 1  NYC, July 18. Male, 37; transition house for homeless with mental illness lost power.[22]

 

No. Carolina              (  5) 

— 5  Mirabelli and Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” AJPH, Figure 1.

— 1  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Robeson County, Lakewood, July 28. Male, 56, collapsed while working on sch. roof.[23]

 

Oklahoma                  (  5)

— 5  Garwe (OK Dept Health). “Heat-Related Deaths, Oklahoma, 1990-2001,” 5-31-2002, p.1.[24]

— 0  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Tulsa, Sep 30. Heatstroke; Lawrence William Warrick, 18-months, left in car by father.[25]

 

Pennsylvania              (36) 

–36  National Weather Service, NOAA.  “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

Breakout of Pennsylvania heat-related deaths by locality:

—  1  Delaware County, Darby, July 13-18. Male, 55, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events.

—  1  Montgomery County, Norristown, June 24-26. Female, 56, permanent home. NCDC SED.

—  1  Montgomery County, Pottstown, July 27-28. Female, 61, in home with windows closed.[26]

—  4  Philadelphia, June 21-26. Female, 87; males 54, 89 and 94, all in permanent homes.[27]

–23  Philadelphia, July 12-18 heat wave. NCDC Storm Events Database.

— Females, 37, 50, 68, 70, 72, 77 (two), 79, 81, 83, 89 and 90; all in permanent homes.

— Males, 45, 56, 58, 60, 62, 66, 77, 81, 83 and 84 (two); all in permanent homes.

—  4  Philadelphia, July 27-28. Females, 34 and 89; males, both 67; all in permanent homes.[28]

—  2  Philadelphia, Aug 16-17. Female, 53, and male, 88, both in permanent homes. NCDC SED.

 

Texas                          (  4) 

— 4  Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

— 2  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 2  Dallas County, July 26 & 29. Females, 63 and 83, both in permanent homes. NCDC. SED.

— 1  Houston, July 14. Heat-related causes; male worker after working on a scaffold. OSHA.

— 1  Port Arthur, Aug 21. Heat stress, male worker, after employer denied medical care. OSHA.[29]

 

Washington                (  1)

–1  Yakima, May 12. Hyperthermia; male worker cutting grass all day; 111° body temp at hosp.[30]

 

Wisconsin                   (  2) 

— 2  Blanchard tally of Wisconsin heat-related deaths by locality.

— 1  National Weather Service, NOAA. “1997 Heat Related Fatalities.” 3-18-1999 update.

— 1  Milwaukee, July 16. Male, 91 in apartment on Milwaukee’s south side. NCDC. SED.

— 1  Racine Co., Mount Pleasant, June 24. Jared Andrew Lewis, 11-mo.; left in car by father.[31]

 

Narrative Information

 

NCDC on Philadelphia, June 21-26: “The first heat wave of 1997 brought the hottest weather in two years to the Philadelphia area. The highest temperatures reached near 100 degrees on the 25th. Four persons died of hyperthermia within the city. Three died on the 26th, the last day of the heat wave. All the deaths occurred within their homes. One had no air conditioning or fans with the windows closed. The other three had no air conditioning, the fans on, but the windows closed. The heat wave started on the 21st. A weak cold front briefly brought drier air into the region on the 23rd. But that was short-lived as both heat and humidity levels became oppressive again on the 24th. The highest temperatures included 99 degrees at the Franklin Institute and 96 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and 94 degrees at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The 96 degree high at the Philadelphia International Airport was the hottest day at the airport since August 18, 1995 when the high was 97 degrees.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, June 21-26, 1997.)

 

NCDC on Philadelphia, July 12-18: “The longest and hottest heat wave of the summer of 1997 brought around 6 consecutive days of high temperatures of 90 degrees or higher to Eastern Pennsylvania. Along with the oppressive heat came high humidity levels and limited rainfall. There were twenty-four heat related deaths caused by the heat wave, twenty-three persons within Philadelphia and one person in Darby in Delaware County. All of the deaths occurred indoors. Most of the people that died had underlying health problems that were exacerbated by the heat. They often were found in homes that had the windows shut, no air conditioning and sometimes just fans blowing. Heat related illnesses occurred as far north as the Lehigh Valley and Berks County during the heat wave. The heat wave ended after a strong cold front moved through the region early on the 19th.

 

“The hottest day for most areas was the 15th as high temperatures were in the mid 90s in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley and near 100 degrees around Philadelphia. This was also the day that many utilities set new usage records. The Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM) reported a record usage of 49,822 megawatts in their regional serving area. This surpassed the previous record of 48,524 megawatts set on August 2, 1995. Other utility setting records included PECO Energy with 7300 megawatts (old record 7,244 megawatts), Pennsylvania Power and Light with 6,051 megawatts (old record 6,021 megawatts) and GPU with 2,288 megawatts (previous record 2,228 megawatts). A Philadelphia suburban water company also reported a record water usage for the day.

 

“The highest temperatures during this heat wave included 100 degrees at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and Levittown (Bucks County), 99 degrees at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 98 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and New Hope (Bucks County), 97 degrees in Reading (Berks County) and King of Prussia (Montgomery County), 95 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 94 degrees in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County). The lack of rain continued to stress crops and water supplies. Leesport in Berks County asked for voluntary water conservation. The fear of fires led to the banning of outside burning in Cumru (Berks County) and East Vincent (Chester County) Townships. The excessive heat also led to the buckling of Interstate 95 in both Philadelphia and Ridley Township in Delaware County. The heat also caused buckling on the southbound lanes of U.S. Route 1 in Upper Providence Township.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, PA, Philadelphia, July 12-18, 1997.)

 

NCDC on Washington, DC, July 13-19: “The combination of antecedent dry weather, a persistent upper-level high pressure area, and the time of year produced a bona-fide heat wave in the District of Columbia during the middle of the month. Unlike events of previous years, the heat index was not quite as oppressive. Nonetheless, daytime high temperatures averaged in the upper 90s for the seven days, with the hottest readings occurring on the 17th (100 at Washington/National Airport) and on the 15th and 18th (99 each day).

 

“Ground-level ozone levels became hazardous as the heat wave persisted; the city departments of health and environment declared code orange (approaching unhealthful) or red (unhealthful) conditions each day. Two persons perished from hyperthermia; both were in residences without air conditioning or fans. An estimated 150 other folks were admitted to area hospitals with heat-related disorders; one elderly woman, 94, suffered heat stroke, and had a body temperature of 105F.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, District of Columbia, July 13-19, 1997.)

 

NCDC on SW PA, Aug 16-17: “The weekend of August 16th and 17th brought some of the hottest and most humid air of the summer into Southeastern Pennsylvania. High temperatures in most places reached well into the 90s, while dew point temperatures (an indication of how humid the air mass is) were as high as the mid 70s. The apparent temperature or heat index in Philadelphia on the 16th reached between 110 and 115 degrees. Two more heat related deaths occurred within Philadelphia and this brought the final total of heat related deaths in Philadelphia to 33 for the summer of 1997. The highest temperatures this weekend (on Saturday the 16th for most locations) included 100 degrees at Crum Creek (Delaware County), 99 degrees at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, 98 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport (a new record for the 16th), Green Lane (Montgomery County) and Levittown (Bucks County), 97 degrees in Reading (Berks County) and Valley Forge (Montgomery County) and 96 degrees in New Hope (Bucks County) and Hamburg (Berks County). The hot spell ended abruptly as a strong cold front moved through the region late on the 17th.” (National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Penn., Philadelphia, Aug 16-17, 1997.)

 

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

 

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

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heat-Related Deaths – Chicago, Illinois, 1996-2001, and United States, 1979-1999.” MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), Vol. 52, No. 26, 7-4-2003, pp. 610-613. Accessed 1-22-2016 at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5226a2.htm

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heat-Related Mortality – United States, 1997,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) 6-19-1998, Vol. 47, No. 23. pp. 473-476. Accessed 1-22-2016 at: http://www.kidsandcars.org/userfiles/dangers/heat-stroke/studies/1998-06-29-heat-mortality-us-study.pdf

 

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

 

Los Angeles Times. “4 Deaths Blamed on Blistering Heat.” 7-28-1997. Accessed 1-22-2016 at: http://articles.latimes.com/1997/jul/28/news/mn-17081

 

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

 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Meg Jones). “Dad forgot baby in car, smoked pot, police say.” 6-25-1997, p. A1. Accessed 1-22-2016 at: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1683&dat=19970625&id=MKQaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JS4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5535,1981319&hl=en

 

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/

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Coachella Valley, Aug 2-7-, 1997. Accessed 1-25, 2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5615460

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire, Aug 2-7, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5615466

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, San Diego Mountains, Aug 2-7, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5615465

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, San Diego County Valleys, Aug 2-7, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5615467

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, District of Columbia, July 13-19, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5611230

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, District of Columbia, Aug 16-17, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5615640

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Orange, July 3, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5617336

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Cook, June 21-30, 1997. Accessed 1-22-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5609402

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Cook, July 14-18, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5610979

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Cook, July 28, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5610983

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Hardin, July 2, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5609740

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, McLean, July 26-27, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5609653

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Vermillion, July 26-27, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5609666

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Will County, June 25, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5609403

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, Montgomery, July 13-19, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5611120

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, Southern Baltimore, Aug 16-17, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5615607

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, St. Louis (C), June 25, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5619243

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, St. Louis (C), Aug 17, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5615671

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, North Carolina, Robeson, July 28, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5612612

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Delaware, July 13-18, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5614392

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Penn., Montgomery, June 24-26, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5611970

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Penn., Montgomery, July 27-28, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5614678

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Penn., Philadelphia, June 21-26, 1997. Accessed 1-22-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5611962

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Penn., Philadelphia, July 12-18, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5614487

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Penn., Philadelphia, Aug 16-17, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5621603

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas, July 19-30, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5607259

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Wisconsin, Milwaukee, July 16, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5612577

 

National Climatic Dater Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Wisconsin, Milwaukee, July 20, 1997. Accessed 1-24-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5615670

 

National Weather Service Forecast Office, Las Vegas, NV. “…The Las Vegas NC Climate Summary for the Year of 2011…” NWS WFO Las Vegas, NOAA, 1-6-2012. Accessed 1-26-2016 at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/data/VEF/CLALAS.20120106160756

 

National Weather Service, NOAA. 1997 Heat Related Fatalities. 3-18-1999 update. Accessed 9-1-2011 at: http://www.weather.gov/om/hazstats/heat97.htm

 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1997]. “Inspection: 115237216 – Metro Lawn Care Inc.” May 12, 1997. Accessed 1-26-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=115237216

 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1997]. “Inspection: 116006834 – Rivera Agri.” July 18, 1997. Accessed 1-26-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=116006834

 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1997]. “Inspection: 120135264 – CA Dept. of Forestry & Fire Protection.” May 29, 1997. Accessed 1-26-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=120135264

 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1997]. “Inspection: 300035482 – U.S. Postal Service.” July 26, 1997. Accessed 1-26-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300035482

 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1997]. “Inspection: 300216785 – Garst Seed Co.” July 26, 1997. Accessed 1-26-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300216785

 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1997]. “Inspection: 301020905 – Williams Industrial Services.” Sep 12, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301020905

 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1997]. “Inspection: 301309431 – Brown & Root Energy Services.” July 14, 1997. Accessed 1-26-2016: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301309431

 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1997]. “Inspection: 301401360 – P&S Construction.” Aug 21, 1997. Accessed 1-25-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=301401360

 

Philadelphia Inquirer (Gloria Campisi and Leon Taylor). “Heat A Factor in 17 Deaths for Now, Danger Seems To Be Over.” 7-21-1997. Accessed 11-20-2015 at: http://articles.philly.com/1997-07-21/news/25547178_1_heat-related-deaths-10-day-heat-killer-heat-wave

 

Snopes.com. “The Unlovin’ Oven.” Accessed 1-22-2016 at: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/carbaby.asp

 

Tulsa World (Cary Aspinwall). “Infant left in hot SUV dies.” 8-29-2003, updated 10-4-2013. Accessed 10-21-2015: http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/infant-left-in-hot-suv-dies/article_3fcd991e-6ce1-510f-9499-0cfefe8fe9b4.html

 

 

 

[1] CDC-Wonder results relate only to cases where hyperthermia was coded ICD-9/E900.0 as primary (direct) cause of death by a medical examiner on a death certificate. “Heat-related” deaths are viewed as those where heat was an indirect or contributing cause of death, and are not included. Even with what we would view as a direct E900.0 heat death we know that sometimes such deaths are coded as something else – such as a dehydration in the case of a child left in a hot car, or heart-failure brought on by a heat stroke, and thus do not show up in a exposure to excessive heat query. Also, CDC WONDER suppresses (does not show) fatality numbers in a State where the loss of life is less than 10. CDC Wonder, for 1997, shows results only for four States – AZ, CA, LA, and TX.

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

[3] “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….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…Arizona death certificates where atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease…, respiratory disease…, diabetes…, or drug overdose/alcohol intoxication…were reported as the underlying cause of death. Those heat-related deaths are beyond the scope of this report.” (p. 1)

[4] OSHA Inspection 120135264. Notes three other firefighters with the victim were hospitalized for heat exhaustion.

[5] CDC. “Heat-Related Mortality – United States, 1997,” MMWR, 6-19-1998, Vol. 47, No. 23. p. 473.

[6] NCDC. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire, Aug 2-7, 1997.

[7] 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.

[8] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Florida, Orange, July 3, 1997.

[9] CDC. “Heat-Related Deaths – Chicago, Illinois, 1996-2001, and [U.S.], 1979-1999.” MMWR, 52/26, 7-4-2003. Notes that when the woman was found by her grandson the bedroom was very hot and had no fan. At the hospital, a rectal temperature of 108° F was recorded.

[10] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Illinois, Hardin, July 2, 1997.

[11] LA Times. “4 Deaths Blamed on Blistering Heat.” 7-28-1997. Victims were Bradley Deien, 48; Steve Haskell, 45.

[12] LA Times. “4 Deaths Blamed on Blistering Heat.” 7-28-1997.

[13] Snopes.com. “The Unlovin’ Oven.” Cites: New Orleans Time-Picayune (Pam Louwagie). “Boy Left in Van by Sitter Dies.” 4-12-1997, p. A1.

[14] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, July 13-19, 1997.

[15] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, Aug 16-17, 1997.

[16] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Maryland, July 13-19, 1997.

[17] Notes “he was wearing several layers of heavy clothing.”

[18] LA Times. “4 Deaths Blamed on Blistering Heat.” 7-28-1997.

[19] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, St. Louis (C), Aug 17, 1997.

[20] “There were 5 heat-related deaths in the Las Vegas Valley in 2011 which is the lowest yearly total since 1997 when only one person died.”

[21] Snopes.com. “The Unlovin’ Oven.” Notes the car was in the driveway. Cites Mark Hayward. “Heat Stroke Killed 2-Year-Old.” The Union Leader, Manchester, NH, 3-21-1997, p. A1.

[22] CDC. “Heat-Related Mortality – United States, 1997,” MMWR, 6-19-1998, Vol. 47, No. 23. p. 473. Notes that “During July 17-18, a power failure had occurred in the house, and the ambient temperature was >90 F…”

[23] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, North Carolina, Robeson, July 28, 1997. Notes that the victim “suffered a heart attach which officials believe was caused by the sweltering heat. Temperatures were in the mid 90s with heat indices exceeding 100 degrees.”

[24] 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.

[25] “Lawrence William “Billy” Warrick, 18 months, died Sept. 30, 1997, of heat stroke after his father left him in a closed automobile for 5 1/2 hours on a day when the temperature reached 86 degrees. Lawrence D. Warrick had left his job at Commercial Financial Services about 12:30 p.m. to take Billy to a pediatrician for a routine physical. An hour later, Warrick reported back to work, leaving the sleeping boy in the car by mistake instead of taking him in to the company’s on-site day-care center. When Warrick returned to his car at 7 p.m., he found the unresponsive child in the back seat and sought emergency help. Warrick, then 36, pleaded no contest to a second-degree manslaughter charge and later received a two-year deferred sentence and a $1,000 fine.” (Tulsa World (Cary Aspinwall). “Infant left in hot SUV dies.” 8-29-2003, updated 10-4-2013.)

[26] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, July 27-28, 1997.

[27] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, June 21-26, 1997.

[28] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, July 27-28, 1997.

[29] OSHA accident investigation summary also notes the employer also “refused transportation to the hospital.” The employee “wandered off the jobsite and died of heat stress three blocks away from the job site.”

[30] OSHA. “Inspection: 115237216 – Metro Lawn Care Inc.”

[31]  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Meg Jones). “Dad forgot baby in car, smoked pot, police say.” 6-25-1997, p. A1. Notes the child was left alone 30-45 minutes in car with windows rolled up on day with highs in 80s; was “dead on arrival Tuesday afternoon with a body temperature of more than 108 degrees.”

–~30  History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 27, 1997. “Tornado Levels TX Subdiv.

—  29  CDC. “Tornado Disaster – Texas, May 1997. MMWR Weekly, 46/45, 14 Nov 1997, 1069.

—  28  NCDC. Storm Events Database. Tornado. Search Results for All Counties in TX, May 27.

—  27  Tornado Project Online (Grazulis). “The Most ‘Important’ US Tornadoes by State.”

 

Travis County           (  1)

— 1  Lakeway.[1]  Male, 25, mobile home. NCDC. Storm Events Database. F4, 5.6 Miles, TX.

 

Williamson County   (27)

— 27  Jarrell. NCDC. Storm Events Database. Tornado, F5, 5.1 Miles, Texas, Williamson.

1. Female, 10. (All deaths noted below were in permanent homes).
2. Female, 13.
3. Female, 13.
4. Female, 15.
5. Female, 17.
6. Female, 34.
7. Female, 36.
8. Female, 36.
9. Female, 37.
10. Female, 40.
11. Female, 40.
12. Female, 44.
13. Female, 45.
14. Female, 50.
15. Male, 5.
16. Male, 11.
17. Male, 14.
18. Male, 15.
19. Male, 15.
20. Male, 15.
21. Male, 15.
22. Male, 16.
23. Male, 16.
24. Male, 22.
25. Male, 40.
26. Male, 41.
27. Male, 46.

 

 

Narrative Information

 

CDC: “On May 27, 1997, multiple tornadoes swept through Williamson and Travis counties in central Texas. The tornadoes caused 32 injuries, 29 deaths, and an estimated $20 million in personal and commercial insured losses. This report summarizes the injuries and deaths associated with these tornadoes based on information from emergency department and hospital records and death certificates.

 

“Three tornadoes swept through the towns of Jarrell, Cedar Park, and Pedernales Valley at approximately 3:40 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 4:50 p.m., respectively… The first tornado, a slow-moving multi-vortex F-5 (Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale)…swept a path 7.6 miles long and approximately 1320 yards wide through a residential subdivision of Jarrell, a predominantly rural town in Williamson County, destroying 30 permanent homes, eight mobile homes, and three businesses… The second tornado (F-3) touched down in Cedar Park in Williamson County and swept a path 9.2 miles long and 250 yards wide, destroying 11 permanent homes and three businesses… The third tornado (F-4) swept a path 5.6 miles long and 440 yards wide through Pedernales Valley, a heavily wooded area in western Travis County, destroying 15 permanent homes, three mobile homes, and two businesses…

 

“A total of 33 persons presented to six area hospitals for treatment of injuries sustained directly or indirectly by the three tornadoes. Of these 33 persons, 13 (39%) had multiple diagnoses. The categories of injuries included lacerations (18 {55%}), contusions (15 {46%}), abrasions (10 {30%}), strains/sprains/muscle spasms (six {18%}), fractures (two {6%}), penetrating wound (one {3%}), and closed-head injury (one {3%}). The median age of the injured persons was 38 years (range: 1-75 years). Twenty-seven persons were treated and released from area hospitals, and five were admitted; one person died in an emergency department. Among patients admitted to the hospital, the median length of stay was 21 days (range: 1-31 days). Four persons were discharged, and one person was transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation facility.

 

“Of the 29 tornado-related deaths, 27 (93%) occurred in Jarrell. Decedents’ ages ranged from 5 to 69 years (median: 22 years), and 14 (48%) were aged less than 18 years; most (16 {55%}) were males. All but one death occurred at the site of the tornado. The immediate cause of death for 26 (90%) of the victims was multiple traumatic injuries; other causes of death included myocardial infarction, head injury, and asphyxia. At the time the tornadoes struck, none of the decedents were in structures with basements. In nine families, there were two or more deaths, and five members of one family were killed.

 

“Tornado watches were issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) for Williamson County at 12:54 p.m. and Travis County at 3:31 p.m. Tornado warnings were issued for Williamson County at 3:30 p.m. and Travis County at 4:09 p.m…. None of the three areas had tornado shelters or warning sirens. The Jarrell volunteer fire department siren was sounded when the tornado was spotted; however, this siren is not used as a tornado warning but to summon volunteers to the firehouse….” (CDC. “Tornado Disaster – Texas, May 1997. MMWR Weekly, 46/45, 14 Nov 1997, 1069.)

 

History.com: “A tornado in Jarrell, Texas, destroys the town and kills nearly 30 people on this day in 1997. This F5 tornado–a rating indicating it had winds of more than 260 miles per hour–was unusual in that it traveled south along the ground; nearly all tornadoes in North America move northeast.

 

“The storm formed just north of the capital city of Austin, Texas, in the afternoon. A cold front from the northwest collided with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, creating a supercell, a large storm cloud formation, and towering cumulus clouds. These conditions produced 22 recorded tornadoes, beginning with one in Waco at 1:37 p.m. The Waco tornado then moved south to Lake Belton, where it demolished the marina and sank many boats.

 

“Moving through rural Texas, the Jarrell tornado hit at 3:50 p.m., just as many students were heading home from school. The twister, almost 800 feet wide, picked up so much soil that it caused a powerful mud storm. Roofs were torn off storm shelters and water was sucked out of deep wells. There were even reports of shafts of wheat impaling cattle, and other cows being picked up, their hides stripped by the winds, before being slammed to the ground.

 

“The tornado then slowed, becoming nearly stationary as it hit the Double Creek home development. Cars in the subdivision were reduced to rubble and homes were picked up right off their foundations. The twister simply obliterated everything in its direct path, leaving no recognizable remains. The only structure to survive was a family’s homemade shelter under their house’s foundation. One item from the neighborhood was found 100 miles away. About three quarters of the residents of Double Creek were killed. One survivor reported that she had been carried off with her house as she lay in the bathtub.” (History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 27, 1997. “Tornado Levels Texas Subdivision.”)

 

NCDC: “Several eyewitnesses reported that the Jarrell tornado was preceded for a period of 8 to 10 minutes by a series of short-lived very small tornadoes that formed from the same supercell thunderstorm. These touched down, then dissipated in order. The first tornado in Williamson County formed near 2:25 pm CST and built rapidly to F2 strength. It survived for approximately 8 minutes, often returning briefly to a roped and tilted feature before it died. This tornado was followed by a second that formed near 2:35 pm CST. It built quickly into a multi-vortex tornado that appeared to be near F2 strength as well. This dissipated after only 4 minutes.

 

“The final tornado from this same supercell, the Jarrell Tornado, developed as a small…rope-shaped tornado, touching down around 2:40 pm CST inside the Williamson County line northwest of Jarrell. From film and eyewitness accounts, it expanded quickly into a very large vortex nearly 1/2 mile in width. Observations recounted by eyewitnesses indicated that the damage path may not have been made strictly by one tornado. A number of eyewitnesses reported seeing several small, rope-like funnels before the character of the tornado changed drastically into the killer tornado. Ground damage patterns in the Double Creek Subdivision also suggested this possibility.

 

“The tornado crossed CR 308, CR 305, and then CR 307. Where the tornado crossed each of these county roads, approximately 525 feet of asphalt was ripped off each of the roadways. This particular destruction was believed to be very close to the centerline of the tornado circulation. As the tornado crossed the intersection of CR 305 and 307, a business on the corner was destroyed. The tornado moved into the Double Creek area at this point with total destruction. F5 destruction continued from shortly after its formation until very close to the end of the damage path.

 

“The tornado began a brief turn toward the southeast as it entered the Double Creek subdivision and the surrounding area, moving very slowly. It reached the subdivision at 3:48 pm. This time is based on a clock found at a destroyed residence in the extreme northwest corner of the subdivision and the home believed to be the first struck by the tornado. Here, it widened to it maximum width of three-quarters of a mile. From the air, the ground appearance changed abruptly in the vicinity of CR 308 and continued until very near the end of the path. No definitive circulation patterns or suction spots were evident, but there was the noted obvious change in the appearance of the ground. In the Double Creek area, approximately 40 structures were totally destroyed. One of the most striking signs in approaching this area was the distinct lack of debris of any size. Closer inspection showed lots of little debris but no sign of large items. It was estimated that several dozen vehicles had been in the subdivision and removed by the tornado. Nearly 300 cattle grazing in a pasture near the subdivision were also killed, with many of them tossed and blown for over 1/4 mile. At least half a dozen cars were identified from the air lying in the open areas, most of them flattened and encrusted with mud and grass. Trees in the subdivision were completely stripped of bark. Later ground survey revealed that most of the debris that was left in the area was extremely small indicating the power of the tornadic wind. All 27 deaths associated with the Jarrell tornado occurred in the Double Creek area. Eyewitnesses reported that it appeared to have slowed down as it entered the subdivision, and that may account for the nearly total destruction that took place.

 

“After passing through the Double Creek area, the tornado shifted its track again slightly, moving toward the south-southwest across CR 309 and into a heavily wooded area of cedar trees. The total destruction of the tornado ends abruptly shortly after entering the wooded area. However, a small swath of tree damage on the north side of the main damage path suggested the possibility of a multiple vortex pattern. No other evidence of multiple vortices was observed.

 

“The sequence of weather phenomenon reported with this tornado was exactly opposite of that often reported- the tornado first appeared, followed by nearly calm conditions, then hail, followed by rain and finally brief, gusty winds. This is attributed to the fact that the parent supercell was moving toward the southwest for most of its life. The storm essentially “backed into” the area as it moved.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Tornado, F5, 5.1 Miles, Texas, Williamson (Jarrell), May 27, 1997.)

 

Tornado Project Online (Grazulis): “A devastating tornado touched down in Jarrell and killed 27 people in this small central Texas town. Although television stations scrolled tornado warnings 30 minutes in advance, and sirens went off, there were few places to go for safety. Most, if not all, homes were on slabs, with no basements to shelter in. Whole families died. Some meteorologists who have seen photos of the damage have said that they have never seen house foundations that were swept as clean. The death total was delayed several days because of the condition of the bodies, which were difficult to identify. This was one of the worst tornadoes in Texas in many, many years. A $20,000,000 damage total was estimated. (Tornado Project Online. Tornadoes in the Past.)

 

Sources

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Tornado Disaster – Texas, May 1997. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 46, No. 45, 11-14-1997, pp. 1069-1073. Accessed at:  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00049839.htm

 

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 27, 1997. “Tornado Levels Texas Subdivision.”  Accessed 12/7/2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=05/27&categoryId=disaster

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Tornado. Search Results for All Counties in Texas, May 27, 1997. Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28C%29+Tornado&beginDate_mm=05&beginDate_dd=26&beginDate_yyyy=1997&endDate_mm=05&endDate_dd=30&endDate_yyyy=1997&county=ALL&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=48%2CTEXAS

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Tornado, F4, 5.6 Miles, Texas, Travis, May 27, 1997. Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5598918

 

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Tornado, F5, 5.1 Miles, Texas, Williamson (Jarrell), May 27, 1997. Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5598913

 

Tornado Project Online (Grazulis). “The Most ‘Important’ US Tornadoes by State.” Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/worstts.htm

 

 

[1] Lakeway is about 50 miles southwest of Jarrell. (Google Maps)

—  10  NFPA.  Fire Invest. Summary. Harveys Lake PA Board…Care Fire, May 13, 1997.  1998.

—  10  PA Gen. Assembly. The Feasibility of Retrofitting High Rises, College Dorms…, 2001.

 

Narrative Information

 

NFPA: “On Tuesday, May 13, 1997, a fire occurred at a board and care facility in Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania.  State fire investigators determined that the fire most likely started on a screened-in porch.  Investigators determined that the fire was caused by disposal of smoking materials on the screened-in porch area of the building.  The fire killed ten residents and injured three others. The building was heavily damaged by the fire, and the property loss was estimated at $270,000.

 

“The facility was a two-story plus basement, wood-frame structure with several additions that had been made over time, which increased the size of the building.  Fire protection features included a fire alarm system with smoke detectors and heat detectors, and fire extinguishers. Interior stairways were enclosed.  Steel doors with self-closing devices protected openings to the stairways; however, the self-closing device on one of the stairway doors was deactivated.  Wall and ceiling finishes were noncombustible.  The facility was not equipped with an automatic sprinkler system….

 

“One staff member and 21 residents were in the building at the time of the fire.  The 21 occupants of the building ranged in age from 58 to 99 with varying medical needs and mental capacities.  State regulations do permit individuals identified as immobile to be housed in personal care homes….

 

“Investigators determined that the fire started on an exterior screened-in porch that was being used as a smoking area.  Once ignited, the fire involved the combustible materials used in the construction of the porch, combustible exterior siding for the building, and combustible furnishings.  Investigators believe that the fire broke large windows between the porch and the interior of the building allowing the fire to enter one bedroom and a living room.

 

“According to investigators, the staff member was in the kitchen completing paperwork when the building alarm sounded. Based on previous false alarms, the staff member attempted to reset the building alarm system. When the alarm system did not reset, the staff member silenced the alarm trouble and the panel trouble indicators. It was at this time that the staff member was informed of a fire by a resident. After confirming the fire, the staff member returned to the kitchen and notified the rest of the residents by activating the drill switch on the alarm panel. The staff person then took action to assist in the evacuation of residents.

 

“At approximately 9:10 p.m. a call was placed to the Harveys Lake Fire Department reporting a fire at the board and care facility. At 9:10 p.m., a telephone call was received at Back Mountain Control (Regional 911 answering point) from a neighbor whose house is located south of the building and through a thickly wooded area. She told the dispatcher that the board and care facility was fully involved. The Harveys Lake Fire Department was immediately dispatched with the fire chief responding directly from his home. During this. time numerous 911 calls were received at Back Mountain Control.

 

“Fire fighters began arriving on the scene about 3 minutes later and they found that the building was heavily involved in fire. Many residents had escaped by the time that fire fighters arrived, and they reported to fire fighters that others were still in the building. Despite the severity of the fire, which prevented fire fighters from entering many areas, fire fighters were able to rescue six residents. Four of the residents who had been rescued, later died in the hospital. After the fire was extinguished, the bodies of six residents were found in various locations throughout the building. Preliminary information indicated that all residents died of smoke inhalation….

 

“Based on the NFPA’s investigation and analysis of this fire, the following factors were considered to have contributed significantly to the loss of life and property in this incident:

 

• Improper use or disposal of smoking materials
• Ineffective resident and staff action
• Inadequate means of egress
• Open fire doors in vertical fire separations
• Room doors with inadequate fire resistance ratings
• Lack of automatic door closing devices on individual room doors
• Lack of automatic sprinkler system….

 

“All of the seven significant factors identified in this incident as contributing to the loss of life are issues that are addressed in NFPA documents.  A change in any one of them could potentially have had the ability to reduce the number of deaths that occurred at this fire.” (NFPA. Fire Investigation Summary. Harveys Lake PA Board…Care Fire, May 13, 1997. 1998.)

 

PA General Assembly: “Large board and care facility, 16 or more residents. The building was a two-story, wood-framed structure with non-combustible interior finishes. The first floor had three exterior exits, and the second floor had two enclosed interior stairways. Self-closing metal doors protected the stairway openings, although one of the closing devices had been deactivated.  Twenty-one residents and one staff member were in the building at the time of the fire. The ages of the residents ranged from 58 to 99 years. All residents had varying medical needs and mental capacities. No information was available regarding training that may have been provided to the residents.  A building-wide fire detection and alarm system was provided.  There were no automatic sprinkler systems….

 

“Improperly disposed smoking materials ignited combustible furniture and construction materials on a porch. The fire broke windows allowing it to spread into rooms on the first and second floors. The fire also blocked the primary exits from the second floor. The fire alarm system operated, but a staff person silenced it. A neighbor reported the fire, and arriving firefighters found the building heavily involved in fire. Several residents and the staff person escaped before the arrival of the fire department. Firefighters were able to rescue six trapped residents, although four died from their injuries. Six more victims were found in the building after the fire was extinguished.

 

“Contributing Factors

– Lack of an automatic sprinkler system

– Improper disposal of smoking materials

– Ineffective staff and resident actions

– Inadequate exit arrangement

– Open fire doors

– Lack of automatic door closing devices for resident rooms.”

 

(PA Gen. Assembly. The Feasibility of Retrofitting High Rises, College Dorms…, 2001, p. 45.)

 

Sources

 

National Fire Protection Association. Fire Investigation Summary. Harveys Lake PA Board and Care Fire, May 13, 1997. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1998.

 

Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. The Feasibility of Retrofitting High Rises, College Dorms, and Certain Other Buildings With Fire Sprinklers, Volume II (A Report in Response to Senate Resolution 132). Harrisburg, PA:  PA General Assembly, January 18, 2001. Accessed at:  http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:KBzYm2dK2qIJ:lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/reports/2001/224.PDF+Fire,+Boarding+Home,+Connellsville,+PA+April+1+1979&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

 

 

— 39  CNN. “Mass suicide involved sedatives, vodka and careful planning.” 3-27-1997.

— 39  Hexham and Poewe. “UFO Religion: Making Sense of the Heaven’s Gate Suicides.”

— 39  History.com. “This Day in History: Mar 26, 1997. Heaven’s Gate cult members found dead.”

— 39  NewspaperARCHIVE. The Daily Perspective. “1997: Bodies Found in Heaven’s Gate…

— 39  Religioustoleranve.org. “Destructive cults. Heaven’s Gate: Christian/UFO believers.” 1997

— 39  Zeller. “Anatomy of a mass suicide: The dark, twisted story behind…” Salon, 11-15-2014.

 

Narrative Information

 

NewspaperArchive.com: “The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult were found in a California mansion today. The members had timed their death with the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet, as the cult believed their souls could then catch a ride on a spaceship that was traveling behind the comet.

 

“They dressed in black, wore their hair in buzz cuts and lived – dozens of them – in an antiseptic, million-dollar mansion stocked with bulk food and computers used to create Internet sites. They died – 39 men and women – in the same mansion, lying in apparent peace on their backs, arms at their sides, each covered across the face and chest with a triangular shroud of purple cloth,” reported the Syracuse Herald Journal on March 27, 1997.

 

“NOTE: The deaths initially proved to be a mystery to authorities, as they found no gunshot wounds or knife holes, and they did not suspect poison. However, it was later discovered that each member had ingested a lethal mixture of phenobarbital and vodka.”  (NewspaperArchive.)

 

Religioustoleranve.org: “Heaven’s Gate is a destructive, doomsday cult centered in California. 21 women and 18 men voluntarily committed suicide in three groups on three successive days starting on 1997-MAR-23. Most were in their 40’s; the rest covered an age range of 26 to 72.  Two months later, two additional members, Charles Humphrey and Wayne Cooke attempted suicide in a hotel room a few miles from the Rancho Santa Fe mansion; Cooke succeeded. Humphrey tried again in the Arizona desert during 1998-FEB and was successful….” (Religioustoleranve.org. “Destructive cults. Heaven’s Gate: Christian/UFO believers.” 3-25-1997, 9-22-2009 update.)

 

Zeller: “On March 22 and March 23, 1997, all thirty-nine active members of Heaven’s Gate committed suicide, exiting the Earth, as they referred to the act. In three waves, members ingested a poisonous mixture of barbiturates and alcohol, and as their breath slowed and bodies shut down, they asphyxiated under plastic bags that they had tied over their heads. Members followed guidelines they had researched several years earlier, and laid down their earthly lives in what can only be called ritual precision and attention to detail. In keeping with the group’s customs, each member wore an identical uniform, but in their final months the group’s members had added a customized “Heaven’s Gate Away Team” patch that positioned them as merely visitors to this planet rather than inhabitants, invoking the concept from the Star Trek universe of visitors from a traveling spaceship….” (Zeller, Benjamin. “Anatomy of a mass suicide: The dark, twisted story behind a UFO death cult.” Salon, 11-15-2014.)

 

Sources

 

CNN. “Mass suicide involved sedatives, vodka and careful planning.” 3-27-1997. Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://www.cnn.com/US/9703/27/suicide/index.html

 

Hexham, Irving and Karla Poewe. “UFO Religion: Making Sense of the Heaven’s Gate Suicides.” Web version of article originally appearing in Christian Century, 5-7-1997, pp. 439-440. Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/papers/irving/HGCC.html

 

History.com. “This Day in History: Mar 26, 1997. Heaven’s Gate cult members found dead.” Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/heavens-gate-cult-members-found-dead

 

Newspaperarchive.com. The Daily Perspective. “1997: Bodies Found in Heaven’s Gate Suicide.  Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/DailyPerspectiveHome.aspx

 

Religioustoleranve.org. “Destructive cults. Heaven’s Gate: Christian/UFO believers.” 3-25-1997, 9-22-2009 update. Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_highe.htm

 

Zeller, Benjamin. “Anatomy of a mass suicide: The dark, twisted story behind a UFO death cult.” Salon, 11-15-2014. Accessed 1-27-2016 at: http://www.salon.com/2014/11/15/anatomy_of_a_mass_suicide_the_dark_twisted_story_behind_a_ufo_death_cult/