WATER AND HEALTH: FLOOD FATALITIES IN THE US SOUTH

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) considers flooding “America’s Number One Natural Hazard”. Despite flood management efforts in many communities, U.S. flood damages remain high, due, in large part, to increasing population and property development in flood-prone areas. Texas leads the nation in flood fatality numbers while Mississippi leads the nation in flood fatality rates. Flood fatality statistics for three southern states were extracted the National Climatic Data Center Storm Data. The data collected for flood fatalities include the date, time, gender, age, location, and weather conditions. Analysis reveals that most fatalities in Texas result from driving into flood water (about 75%). Factors that contribute to flood fatalities and injuries were examined.