Using Direct and Indirect Fatalities Associated with Hurricane Michael to Change Future Messaging

Hurricane Michael was an unprecedented event for the Florida Panhandle as it was the first category five hurricane to make landfall in the region and the third strongest at U.S. landfall based on pressure since reliable records began in 1851. The rapid evolution of the hurricane in the days leading up to landfall, in addition to the unprecedented nature of the expected impacts, posed a unique messaging challenge for the meteorological community. The National Weather Service (NWS) and emergency managers, however, used extreme efforts including Facebook Live, Wireless Emergency Alerts and door to door visits by officials to message the devastating impacts.

Ultimately, Hurricane Michael resulted in $25 billion in damages in the United States, and in Bay County alone damaged 45,000 structures, two hospitals and every building on Tyndall Air Force Base. Unfortunately, despite the messaging efforts, the impacts from Hurricane Michael also resulted in 16 direct deaths and 43 indirect deaths. The indirect deaths can be broken down into the following categories: 19 medical, 15 accident/fall, 3 auto accident, 3 suicide, 2 electrocution and 1 carbon monoxide. These fatalities highlight the need to continue messaging the hazards during an event, but also stress the need for safety and preparedness messaging related to power outages and clean-up after an event. This presentation will further explore the locations and causes of the direct and indirect fatalities as well as how this information can be used to improve messaging during future tropical events.