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50% Of Katrina Dead Were Elderly

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The Associated Press

Published: August 29, 2008

CHICAGO - As New Orleans residents warily track another threatening storm, a new report presents the clearest picture yet of deaths from Katrina in Louisiana. Of the nearly 1,000 who died, almost half were 75 or older, according to researchers.

Most died on the day of the storm - August 29, 2005 - and drowning was the leading cause of death. More than one-third died in homes.

The results present a tragic portrait of elderly residents who may have thought the warnings were a false alarm, who feared that abandoning their homes would lead to looting, or who simply didn't want to leave their familiar surroundings for the unknown.

The high death toll among the elderly was likely worsened by the reality that older people were more vulnerable and frail, and unable to fight the catastrophic storm, the report said.

The report provides the most comprehensive details yet of Katrina's deaths in Louisiana and "just shows us where we need to direct our disaster preparedness effort," said Joan Brunkard, the lead author and a researcher at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We must reach these populations" before, during and after storms, and provide the assistance and reassurance they need to be willing to evacuate, she said.

The study was published online Thursday and will appear in the October print edition of the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.

"The findings in this report will aid public health and emergency preparedness efforts and may help reduce the mortality burden in future natural disasters," the researchers wrote.

The new report focuses on deaths directly related to Katrina in Louisiana, and on deaths of Louisiana residents who fled to other states. It's based on death certificates listing Katrina as the main or contributing cause and data from a federal disaster response team. The researchers counted 971 Katrina-related deaths in Louisiana, mostly in New Orleans, and 15 deaths among residents who fled out of state.

The time period was Aug. 27 to Oct. 31, 2005, which includes deaths in car crashes on evacuation routes and from injuries suffered during the storm.

The previously reported death toll for all Katrina victims has been put at 1,698. That includes bodies collected in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and Louisiana residents who died in other states in the month after Katrina.

Among the findings:

•40 percent of victims drowned.

•Just under half of all victims were 75 or older; the average age was 69.

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