Case Study: April 2011 Tornado Outbreak Sample Clauses

Case Study: April 2011 Tornado Outbreak. The year 2011 was exceptionally deadly for tornado events in the United States, as there were over 550 deaths related to tornadoes (CDC, 2012; X. Xxxxxxx & Sutter, 2014). From April 25-28, 2011, an enormous storm system generated 351 tornadoes, including 27 that were deadly, and 15 of which registered as EF4 or EF5. With 338 fatalities over 5 states, the storm system was the third-deadliest tornado event in the history of the U.S. The American Red Cross completed data collection on fatalities associated with the event. Their sources included media reports, funeral homes, coroners, emergency managers, and interviews with next-of-kin. The fatality case definition for the Red Cross included any death attributed directly (i.e. trauma) or indirectly (i.e. smoke or carbon monoxide asphyxiation, cardiovascular events, etc.). However, 94.1% (N=318) of deaths were considered directly related to exposure (CDC, 2012). The leading cause of death was multi-system trauma at 95.6% (N=324), and 90% (N=306) of addresses associated with decedents were within a 5 mile radius of a tornado (CDC, 2012). Of the total deaths, 94.3% (N=319) were on the date of the exposure and 81% (N=274) were caused by EF4 or EF5 magnitude tornadoes (CDC, 2012). EF4 and EF5 tornadoes traveled an average distance of 66 miles on the ground crossing multiple counties, with wind velocities greater than 50mph (NOAA, 2011, 2012; Xxxxxxx, Van De Lindt, & Graettinger, 2011). Further research surrounding the April 2011 event is limited; however, existing studies suggest that the outbreak was an exceptional event, both meteorologically and with regard to risk and impact. Xxxxxx et al. (2012) look at factors related to housing that contributed to lethality in the April 2011 outbreak (Chaney, Weaver, Xxxxxxxxxx, & Xxxxx, 2012). In their book, Deadly Season: Analysis of the 2011 Tornado Outbreaks (2012), Xxxxxxx and Sutter explore tornado fatalities from the 2011 tornado season and provide perspective. In chapter 2, they address the April 2011 tornado outbreak and conclude that excess deaths related to the event were due more to the violent nature of the tornadoes than other risk factors. Furthermore, the authors assert that this event was not characteristic of typical tornado event patterns in this region with regard to magnitude, timing and season of occurrence, thus it is difficult to determine the degree to which the region’s elevated vulnerability played a role (X. Xxxxxxx & Sutter, 2012b). Xxxxx et al. ...