At this year鈥檚 Florida Governor鈥檚 Hurricane Conference, a compelling (COPH) panel shed new light on the true human cost of hurricanes. A key focus was on Hurricane Michael鈥檚 long-term health impacts and the communication strategies needed to disseminate information about these risks before and after hurricanes.
The annual conference gathers practitioners and emergency responders together to train and gain knowledge from various workshops. Awards are used to recognize emergency managers, first responders, journalists and communicators.
The panel and discussion were led by public health researchers that included Dr. Blake L. Scott, COPH alumna and graduate research assistant for the (SERC), , COPH associate professor and SERC director, and crisis communication researcher Dr. Mildred (Mimi) Perreault.
The team鈥檚 session, titled 鈥淗urricane Fatalities: A Panel Discussion on Who, What, When, and How鈥� explored how traditional fatality counts often fail to capture the full scope of disaster-related deaths. The panel introduced the concept of excess mortality鈥攁 statistical method that identifies deaths occurring beyond expected trends in the aftermath of a disaster鈥� and highlighted workforce sectors most at risk for injury and death related to hurricane response and recovery.
鈥淓xcess mortality can shed light on the prolonged impacts that hurricanes have on a community鈥檚 health and help us understand how to build back better in order to be more resilient for the next storm,鈥� Scott said.
Drs. Blake Scott, Jennifer Marshall and Mildred (Mimi) Perreault presenting at the annual Governor's Hurricane Conference. (Photo courtesy of Marshall)
While official reports listed 45 to 50 deaths from Hurricane Michael, excess mortality analysis revealed 36 additional deaths that occurred in the months following the storm鈥攎any due to chronic conditions exacerbated by the collapse of health care infrastructure.
鈥淲e often think about injuries and fatalities among residents, but don鈥檛 always consider the wide range of public and private industry workers who are at increased risk while protecting the community鈥檚 safety, health and infrastructure鈥攑ower, water, construction, roadways, trees and debris removal,鈥� Marshall said. 鈥淲e rely heavily on health care, emergency responders and utilities workers, who are also members of the community, working overtime to respond and rebuild after a disaster.鈥�
Researchers also highlighted a noticeable spike in mortality in Gulf and Franklin Counties six months post-storm. In addition, they discussed the precarity of deaths in the Blue-Sky times (when people are preparing for or recovering from) after initial hurricane recovery efforts, primarily in a month to six months after the storm. In many cases public health data on deaths can take more than a year to finalize.
The study of Hurricane Michael found:
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82% of deaths occurred in individuals aged 55 and older, with a significant number linked to chronic diseases like cardiovascular conditions and diabetes
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Health care access was severely disrupted, with residents traveling up to 650 miles for cancer treatment due to destroyed facilities and staffing shortages
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Routine and specialized care was delayed or inaccessible, leading to worsened health outcomes and increased reliance on emergency services
鈥淗ealth care staffing and facility shortages can have disastrous consequences for patients who have chronic health care conditions, are pregnant and who need emergency care. Prolonged shortages can have long-term effects,鈥� Scott added.
The panel emphasized that understanding and measuring excess mortality and communicating clearly about hurricane fatalities is critical for improving disaster response, guiding recovery funding and building more resilient communities.
鈥淲hen people are dealing with disaster they do not always think about self-preservation,鈥� Perreault said. 鈥淔irst responders, including electricians, volunteers and communications people, want to get their boots on the ground to respond. Many of them forget to think about safety and the long-term mental load of disaster response.鈥�
This research builds on lessons from past disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Maria, where excess mortality studies reshaped public understanding and influenced federal aid decisions. They also discussed the 2024 hurricane season (specifically Helene and Milton), audience members provided additional perspectives on fatalities and contributed to discussion on best practices to share information and data about hurricane fatalities in the future.