2008 — Sep 1, Hurricane Gustav, FL, GA, MS and especially LA — 53

Internationally

—  153  Weather Wiki (112 direct and 41 direct). Hurricane Gustav (2008). (No citation.)

–>150  Moore. “5 years later, Hurricane Gustav still not forgotten.” WWLTV.com, 9-2-2013.

—  138  Complete, Inc. Hurricane Gustav: Storm History and Damage Assessment. As of Sep 15.

—  112  Direct. Bevin/Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav. 9-15-2009, 4.[1]

—      8  Dominican Republic. AP. “Ike hits Cuba…” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, 9-8-2008, A3.

—      8         “       Bevin/Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav. 9-15-2009, p.4.

—    77  Haiti. Bevin / Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav. 9-15-2009, p. 4.

—    76  Haiti. AP. “Ike hits Cuba, lashes Haiti,” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, MI, 9-8-2008, A3.

—    15  Jamaica. Bevin/Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav. 9-15-2009, p. 4.

—    12  Jamaica. AP. “Ike hits Cuba, lashes Haiti,” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, MI, 9-8-2008, A3

 

U.S.

—  53  Wikipedia. “Hurricane Gustav.” 5-19-2011 modification.

—  53  Blanchard tally from breakouts below, assuming GA and MS deaths included in LA tally.

—  53  Bevin and Kimberlain.  Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav.  9-15-2009, 4.

—  26  Assoc. Press. “Ike hits Cuba, lashes Haiti,” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, MI, 9-8-2008, A3.

—>16  Foster/Bohrer (AP). “New Orleans Residents…” Daily Sitka Sentinel, 9-3-2008, p.3.[2]

—    9  Bohrer/Simpson (AP). “After Gustav, will people heed…” Gettysburg Times, 9-2-2008.

 

At Sea             (  1)

—  1  Bevin and Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav.  9-15-2009, 4.

 

Florida            (  4)

—  4  State. Drownings, rip currents at beaches. Bevin/Kimberlain. …Gustav.  9-15-2009, 4.

 

Georgia          (  4) (Louisiana evacuees)

— 4  Assoc. Press. “Ike hits Cuba, lashes Haiti,” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, MI, 9-8-2008, A3.

— 4  Vehicular accident; Louisiana evacuees, on I-20 near Carrollton, GA.[3]

 

Louisiana       (48)  (This possibly includes 6-7 LA evacuee deaths in GA and MS.)

— 48  State. Wikipedia. “Hurricane Gustav.” 5-19-2011 modification.

— 48     “   Bevin and Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav.  9-15-2009, p. 4.

— 46     “   LA DHH. Press Release. Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Continues…9-15-2008.

— 44     “   LA DHH. “Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Continues to Update…” 9-14-2008.

— 43     “   Complete, Inc. Hurricane Gustav: Storm History and Damage Assessment.[4]

— 41     “   indirect. Bevin/Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav.  9-15-2009, 4

— 29     “   LA DHH. “Department of Health and Hospitals News Update.” 9-10-2008.

— 25     “   Blanchard tally of Cause of Death breakout for Louisiana.

— 19     “   AP. “Ike hits Cuba, lashes Haiti,” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, MI, 9-8-2008, A3.

—   7     “   direct.  Bevin/Kimberlain.  Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav.  9-15-2009, 4.

Locality Breakout:

— 1  Acadia Parish evacuee in Arkansas. Natural Causes, LA HS&EM, 9-10-2008.

— 1  East Baton Rouge Parish. Fire, Louisiana Chief Medical Officer, DHH, 9-15-2008.

— 1  East Baton Rouge Parish. Natural Causes, LA Chief Medical Officer, DHH, 9-15-2008.

— 2  Evangeline Parish, Tornado, Sep 3. Bevin/Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone…Gustav. 2009, 4.

— 2  Jefferson Parish evacuees in Arkansas, Natural Causes, LA HS&EM, 9-10-2008.

— 1  Jefferson Parish evacuee, Natural Causes (heart attack), MS Interstate Hwy, woman, 88.[5]

— 1  Jefferson Davis Parish, Natural Causes, confirmed by LA Chief Medical Officer, 9-14-2008.

— 1  St. Charles Parish. Hypothermia. LA Chief Med. Of., DHH. Fatalities…Gustav. 9-5-2008.

— 1  St. Charles Parish. Natural causes, LA CMO, DHH. Fatalities Related to…Gustav. 9-5-2008.

— 1  St. Charles Parish. Undetermined cause. LA DHH. Fatalities Related to…Gustav. 9-5-2008.

— 1  Washington Parish. Natural cause. LA Governor’s Office of HS & Emer. Prep. 9-9-2008.[6]

Louisiana Cause of Death Breakout:

— 1  Accidental, hypothermia, St. Charles Parish. LA DHH. Fatalities…Gustav. 9-5-2008.

— 1  Electrocution. Louis Cataldie. Fatalities Related to Hurricane Gustav. 9-4-2008.

— 5  Falling Trees.  Bevin/Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav. 2009, 4.

— 1  Fire, East Baton Rouge Parish. LA DHH, 9-15-2008.

— 1  Natural Causes, Acadia Parish evacuee in Ark. LA HS&EM, 9-10-2008.

— 1  Natural Causes, Calcasieu Parish evacuee in Ark. LA HS&EM, 9-10-2008.

— 1  Natural Causes, East Baton Rouge Parish. LA DHH, 9-15-2008.

— 1  Natural Causes, Jefferson Davis Parish, confirmed by LA Chief Medical Officer, 9-14-2008.

— 2  Natural Causes, Jefferson Parish evacuees in Ark. LA HS&EM, 9-10-2008.

— 1  Natural Causes (heart attack), Jefferson Parish evacuee, MS Interstate Hwy, woman, 88.

— 1  Natural Causes, St. Charles Parish. LA DHH. Fatalities Related to…Gustav. 9-5-2008.

— 1  Washington Parish. Natural causes. LA Governor’s Office of HS & Emer. Prep. 9-9-2008.

— 2  Tornado, Evangeline Parish, Sep 3. Bevin/Kimberlain. Tropical Cyclone…Gustav. 2009, 4.

— 2  Vehicular Accident. Evacuees from Metairie, LA, near Vicksburg, MS.

— 4  Vehicular accident; Louisiana evacuees, on I-20 near Carrollton, GA.

— 1  Undetermined, St. Charles Parish. LA DHH. Fatalities Related to…Gustav. 9-5-2008.

 

Mississippi      (  3) (At least two were Louisiana evacuees.)

— 3  Assoc. Press. “Ike hits Cuba, lashes Haiti,” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, MI, 9-8-2008, A3.

— 2  Vehicular accident. Evacuees from Metairie, LA, near Vicksburg, MS.[7]

 

Narrative Information

 

Bevin and Kimberlain: “Gustav made its final landfall near Cocodrie, Louisiana, around 1500 UTC 1 September with maximum winds near 90 kt (Category 2). The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm and its forward motion slowed as it crossed southern and western Louisiana later on 1 September. It became a tropical depression on 2 September over northwestern Louisiana. Gustav then meandered over southwestern Arkansas, extreme northeastern Texas, and extreme southeastern Oklahoma on 3 September as it encountered weak steering currents at the western end of the Atlantic ridge. An approaching mid- to upper-level trough and accompanying cold front caused Gustav to accelerate northeastward on 4 September, with the cyclone becoming extratropical due to merging with the front. The extratropical remnants of Gustav were absorbed by another extratropical low on 5 September as it moved through the Great Lakes.” (p. 2.)

 

“As of this writing, reports from relief agencies and the media indicate that Gustav was directly responsible for 112 deaths – 77 in Haiti, 15 in Jamaica, 8 in the Dominican Republic, 7 in Louisiana, 4 in Florida, and 1 at sea. The deaths in the Dominican Republic were due to a landslide or mudslide. Five deaths in Louisiana were due to falling trees, while the other two were caused by the EF2 tornado in Evangeline Parish. The deaths in Florida were drownings in rip currents that were caused by high surf produced by the hurricane. In addition, there are 41 deaths indirectly associated with Gustav in Louisiana.” (Bevin and Kimberlain.  Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav.  9-15-2009, p. 4.)

 

Cataldie: “Baton Rouge…The fatality confirmed today was an accidental electrocution death in Rapides Parish due to a downed power line.” (Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Louis Cataldie. Memorandum: “Re: Fatalities Related to Hurricane Gustav.” 9-4-2008.)

 

Sep 5: “Baton Rouge — Please find the attached memo sent from Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Louis Cataldie, M.D., regarding fatalities related to Hurricane Gustav:

From: Louis Cataldie, M.D.
To: Secretary Alan Levine
Date: September 5, 2008
Re: Fatalities Related to Hurricane Gustav

“This memorandum delineates the current number of confirmed hurricane-related fatalities….

“In addition to the 19 fatalities related to Gustav confirmed as of Thursday, Sept. 4, four additional fatalities were confirmed today, bringing the total fatalities related to Hurricane Gustav to 23.

The newly confirmed fatalities consist of:

One accidental death in Winn Parish because of a tree-cutting accident

One accidental death in St. Charles Parish due to hyperthermia

One death in St. Charles Parish due to natural causes

One death in St. Charles Parish still under investigation

 

(State of LA Dept. of Health and Hospitals. “Fatalities Related to Hurricane Gustav.” 9-5-2008.)

 

Sep 10: “Baton Rouge — Please find the attached memo sent from Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Louis Cataldie, M.D., regarding fatalities related to Hurricane Gustav:

From: Louis Cataldie, M.D.

To: Secretary Alan Levine

Date: September 10, 2008

Re: Fatalities Related to Hurricane Gustav

“This memorandum delineates the current number of confirmed hurricane-related fatalities. As Chief Medical Officer for the state of Louisiana, I am working closely with local coroners and police departments to identify fatalities as a result of Hurricane Gustav and offering assistance to local authorities.

“In addition to the 26 fatalities related to Gustav confirmed as of Tuesday, Sept. 9, four additional fatalities were confirmed today. The fatalities confirmed today were all Louisiana residents who evacuated to Arkansas.

“The newly confirmed fatalities consist of:

 

• A Calcasieu Parish resident who died of natural causes.
• An Acadia Parish resident who died of natural causes.
• Two Jefferson Parish residents who died of natural causes.

 

“A fatality confirmed on September 5, of a Winn Parish resident who died as a result of a tree cutting accident, has now been determined by the coroner to NOT be related to Hurricane Gustav. Today’s four reported deaths, minus the Winn Parish fatality, bring the total deaths from Hurricane Gustav to 29.

“Any death that is determined by the jurisdictional coroner to have been caused as a result of Hurricane Gustav will be counted as a storm-related death. General criteria for classifying a death as hurricane-related include:

 

• Death due to activities associated with evacuation (i.e., evacuation stress precipitates a heart attack)

 

• Death due to the effects of the storm itself (i.e., a tree falls on a person during the storm)

 

• Death associated with recovery efforts (i.e., a person is electrocuted by! a fallen electrical line while cleaning up fallen tree limbs)

 

“I will continue to notify you at the end of each day of newly-confirmed deaths related to Hurricane Gustav.”

 

(State of Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, Joint Information Center.  “Department of Health and Hospitals News Update.  Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Continues to Update Number of Gustav Fatalities.” 9-10-2008.)

 

Wikipedia: “Hurricane Gustav reached the Louisiana coast on the morning of September 1, making landfall near Cocodrie, Louisiana… however, at 9 am wind speed at Grand Isle had been 115 mph (185 km/h), the highest eyewall speed, indicating the eyewall had traveled over 4 hours along the coast. The center of the storm continued northwest across the state, so damage and deaths were widespread in many areas.

 

“48 deaths in the state of Louisiana were blamed on Hurricane Gustav. Five were due to falling trees, two due to a tornado and the rest were indirect deaths.[8]  After Gustav weakened to a tropical depression, several tornadoes were spawned including one (rated EF2) that killed two near Mamou during the early hours of September 3. The tornado also injured two others.”  (Wikipedia. “Hurricane Gustav.” May 19, 2011.)

 

Sources

 

Anderson, Ed. “Hurricane Gustav death toll at 24 now.” Times-Picayune, New Orleans, 9-7-2008. At: http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2008/09/gustav_death_toll_increases_to.html

 

Bohrer, Becky, and Doug Simpson (Associated Press). “After Gustav, will people heed warnings next time?” Gettysburg Times, PA, 9-2-2008, p. A8. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=150109536&sterm

 

Associated Press. “Ike hits Cuba, lashes Haiti,” The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, MI, 9-8-2008, p. 3. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=153808260&sterm

 

Bevin, John L. II and Todd B. Kimberlain.  Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Gustav (AL072008).  National Hurricane Center, Aug 25-Sep 4, 2008; revised 9-15-2009. Accessed at:  http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL072008_Gustav.pdf

 

Complete General Contracting, Inc. Hurricane Gustav: Storm History and Damage Assessment. As of Sep 15, 2008. Accessed 2-4-2014 at: http://www.completecontracting.com/index.php/hurricane-gustav-storm-history-and-damage-assessment/

 

Foster, Mary, and Becky Bohrer (Associated Press). “New Orleans Residents Lining Up…” Daily Sitka Sentinel, AK, 9-3-2008, p. 3. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=165317045&sterm

 

Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Louis Cataldie. Memorandum: “Re: Fatalities Related to Hurricane Gustav.” 9-4-2008. Accessed 5-30-2012 at: http://tangilena.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Louisiana+Chief+Medical+Officer+Continues+to+Update+Number+of+Gustav+Fatalities%20&id=8580338

 

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “Press Release. Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Continues to Update Number of Gustav Fatalities.” 9-14-2008. Accessed at: http://emergency.louisiana.gov/Releases/091408Fatalities.html

 

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “Press Release. Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Continues to Update Number of Gustav, Ike Fatalities.” 9-15-2008. Accessed at: http://emergency.louisiana.gov/Releases/091508Fatalities.html

 

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “Fatalities Related to Hurricane Gustav.” 9-5-2008. http://www.amitetoday.com/view/full_story/8580310/article-From-the-Department-of-Health-and-Hospitals

 

Moore, Katie. “5 years later, Hurricane Gustav still not forgotten.” WWLTV.com, New Orleans, 9-2-2013. At: http://www.wwltv.com/news/alookbackgustavfiveyearslater-222093741.html

 

State of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “Fatalities Related to Hurricane Gustav.” 9-5-2008. http://www.amitetoday.com/view/full_story/8580310/article-From-the-Department-of-Health-and-Hospitals

 

State of Louisiana, Governor’s Office of Home Security & Emergency Preparedness and FEMA (Joint Information Center). “Department of Health and Hospitals News Update. Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Continues to Update Number of Gustav Fatalities.” 9-9-2008. Accessed 7-11-2015 at: http://louisiana.gov/includes/docs/090908_LA_Chief_Medical_Officer_Continues_To_Update_Noof_Gustav_Fatalities.php

 

State of Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, Joint Information Center. “Department of Health and Hospitals News Update.  Louisiana Chief Medical Officer Continues to Update Number of Gustav Fatalities.” 9-10-2008. Accessed at:  http://louisiana.gov/includes/docs/091008_Louisiana_Chief_Medical_Officer_Continues_To_Update_Number_of_Gustav_Fatalities.php

 

Weather Wiki (112 direct and 41 direct). Hurricane Gustav (2008). (No citation.) Accessed 2-4-2014 at: http://weather.wikia.com/wiki/Hurricane_Gustav_%282008%29

 

Wikipedia. “Hurricane Gustav.” 5-19-2011. At:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Gustav

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Haiti, 77; Jamaica, 15; Dominican Republic, 8; US, 11, maritime, 1.

[2] “…most coming in traffic accidents, and two in a post-storm tornado.”

[3] Wikipedia. “Hurricane Gustav.” 5-19-2011 modification. Cites: Mary MacDonald. “Storm evacuees head to Georgia; 4 die in identcrash.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9-1-2008 (broken/dead link).

[4] Directly above, when noting total deaths in U.S. and Caribbean, it is noted that this was as September 15. We assume this is the case here as well. It is stated that the 43 deaths were “in the state of Louisiana…”

[5] Ed Anderson. “Hurricane Gustav death toll at 24 now.” Times-Picayune, New Orleans, 9-7-2008.

[6] State of LA, Gov Office of HS & EP (JIC). “Department of Health and Hospitals News Update…” 9-9-2008.

[7] Wikipedia. “Hurricane Gustav.” 5-19-2011 mod. Cites: AP. “Sixteen deaths connected to Gustav,” KTBS.

 

[8] Cites:  National Hurricane Center.  Tropical Cyclone Report:  Hurricane Gustav.  Sep 15, 2009 revision.