WORST DISASTERS – LIVES LOST (U.S.)

Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM, FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Project

July 5, 2006 Draft

  1. Influenza Pandemic, September 1918 – April 1919 -- 675,000
  2. Smallpox, 1775-1782 -- 130,000
  3. Influenza Epidemic, 1957 -- 70,000
  4. Influenza Epidemic, 1968 -- 28,000
  5. Yellow Fever, 1878, Mississippi Valley -- 13,000+
  6. Galveston Hurricane, 1900 -- 6K - 12,000
  7. Yellow Fever, New Orleans, 1853 -- 7,790
  8. Cholera Epidemic, 1832 -- 7,000+
  9. Polio, 1916 -- 7,000+
  10. Polio, 1949-1952 -- 6,000+
  11. Yellow Fever, Philadelphia, 1793 -- 5,000+
  12. Cholera Epidemic, 1849, Mississippi Valley -- 5,000+
  13. Yellow Fever, New Orleans, 1867 -- 3,093
  14. San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, 1906 -- 664-3,000
  15. 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 -- ~3,000
  16. Johnstown Flood, 1889 -- 2,000-3,000
  17. Illinois Heat Wave, July 1-31, 1936 (access deaths) -- 2,696
  18. Pestigo Firestorm, Wisconsin, 8 October 1871 -- 2,200+
  19. Great Okeechobee Hurricane and Flood, 1928 -- 1,836-2,500
  20. Louisiana Hurricane of 1893 -- 2,000+
  21. Riverboat Sultana Explosion and Sinking, 1865 -- 1,547-~2000
  22. South Carolina-Georgia Hurricane of 1893 -- 1,000- 2,000
  23. Sinking of Titanic, April 15, 1912 -- 1,503
  24. General Slocum Excursion Steamer Fire, June 15, 1904 -- 1,000- 1,350
  25. Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, MS, AL, FL, 2005 -- ~1,300
  26. Illinois Heat Wave July 1-31, 1966 (“excess deaths”) -- 1,148
  27. New York City Heat Wave Aug 9-15, 1986 -- 1,001
  28. MN & WI Forest Fire, 1918 -- 1,000
  29. Florida Keys, LA, AL, TX Hurricane, Sep. 2-15, 1919 -- 600-900
  30. Wildfire, MN (Hinckley) & WI, September 1 -- 894
  31. Eastland Excursion Steamer sinking, Chicago, 1871 -- 844
  32. Tornadoes, February 19, 1884, MI, NC, TN, IN -- ~800
  33. Chicago Fire, 1871 -- 766
  34. Heat Wave (Particularly Chicago) 1995 -- ~739
  35. New England Hurricane, 1938 -- 600-720
  36. Georgia-South Carolina Hurricane of 1881 -- ~700
  37. Tri-State Tornado, 1925 -- 689-695
  38. Iroquois Theater Fire, Chicago, December 30, 1903 -- 602
  39. Texas City Grandcamp Freighter Explosion, 1947 -- 516
  40. St. Francis Dam Failure, Ventura County CA, 1928 -- 500
  41. Florida Keys Hurricane, September 1935 -- 405-423
  42. Northeastern United States “Great Atlantic Hurricane,” Sep. 1944 -- 394
  43. Hurricane Audrey, June 1957 -- 390


WORST DISASTERS (LIVES LOST) – NATURAL (non-bio) & ACCIDENTAL

  1. Galveston Hurricane, 1900 -- 6K - 12,000
  2. Great Okeechobee Hurricane and Flood, 1928 -- 1,836-2,500
  3. Johnstown Flood, 1889 -- 2,000-3,000
  4. San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, 1906 -- 664-3,000
  5. Illinois Heat Wave, July 1-31, 1936 (access deaths) -- 2,696
  6. Louisiana Hurricane of 1893 -- 2,000+
  7. Pestigo Firestorm, Wisconsin, 8 October 1871 -- 2,200+
  8. South Carolina-Georgia Hurricane of 1893 -- 1,000-2,000
  9. Sinking of Titanic, April 15, 1912 -- 1,503
  10. Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Miss. AL, FL, 2005 -- ~1,300
  11. Illinois Heat Wave July 1-31, 1966 (“excess deaths”) -- 1,148
  12. New York City Heat Wave Aug 9-15, 1986 -- 1,001
  13. MN & WI Forest Fire, 1918 -- 1,000
  14. Ship Fire, NYC Harbor, 1904 -- 1,000
  15. Florida Keys, LA, AL, TX Hurricane, Sep. 2-15, 1919 -- 600-900
  16. Wildfire, MN (Hinckley) & WI, September 1 -- 894
  17. Tornadoes, February 19, 1884, MI, NC, TN, IN -- ~800
  18. Chicago Fire, 1871 -- 766
  19. Heat Wave (Particularly Chicago) 1995 -- ~739
  20. New England Hurricane, 1938 (Long Island Express) -- 700-720
  21. Georgia-South Carolina Hurricane of 1881 -- ~700
  22. Tri-State Tornado, 1925 -- 695


WORST DISASTERS (LIVES LOST) – CHRONOLOGICAL

  1. 1775-1782 -- Smallpox -- 130,000
  2. 1793 -- Yellow Fever, Philadelphia -- 5,000+
  3. 1832 -- Cholera Epidemic -- 7,000+
  4. 1849 -- Cholera Epidemic, Mississippi Valley -- 5,000+
  5. 1853 -- Yellow Fever, New Orleans -- 7,790
  6. 1865 -- Riverboat Sultana Explosion/Sinking, MS River -- 1,547-~
  7. 1867 -- Yellow Fever, New Orleans -- 3,093
  8. 1871 -- Pestigo Firestorm, Wisconsin -- 2,200+
  9. 1871 -- Eastland Excursion Steamer sinking, Chicago -- 844
  10. 1871 -- Chicago Fire -- 766
  11. 1878 -- Yellow Fever, Mississippi Valley -- 13,000+
  12. 1881 -- Georgia-South Carolina Hurricane -- ~700
  13. 1884 -- Tornadoes, MI, NC, TN, IN -- ~800
  14. 1889 -- Johnstown Flood -- 2,000-3,000
  15. 1893 -- Louisiana Hurricane -- 2,000+
  16. 1893 -- South Carolina-Georgia Hurricane -- 1,000-2,000
  17. 1894 -- Wildfire, MN (Hinckley) & WI, September 1 -- 894
  18. 1900 -- Galveston Hurricane -- 6K - 12,000
  19. 1903 -- Iroquois Theater Fire, Chicago, December 30 -- 602
  20. 1904 -- General Slocum Excursion Steamer Fire, June 15 -- 1,000- 1,350
  21. 1906 -- San Francisco Earthquake and Fire -- 664-3,000
  22. 1912 -- Sinking of Titanic, April 15, 1912 -- 1,503
  23. 1916 -- Polio -- 7,000+
  24. 1918 – MN & WI Forest Fire -- 1,000
  25. 1918-19 -- Influenza Pandemic, September -- April -- 675,000
  26. 1919 -- Florida Keys, LA, AL, TX Hurricane, Sep. 2-15 -- 600-900
  27. 1925 -- Tri-State Tornado -- 689-695
  28. 1928 -- Great Okeechobee Hurricane and Flood -- 1,836-2,500
  29. 1928 -- St. Francis Dam Failure, Ventura County CA -- 500
  30. 1935 -- Florida Keys Hurricane, September -- 405-423
  31. 1936 -- Illinois Heat Wave, July 1-31 (access deaths) -- 2,696
  32. 1938 -- New England Hurricane (Long Island Express) -- 600-720
  33. 1944 -- Northeastern United States “Great Atlantic Hurricane,” Sep. -- 394
  34. 1947 -- Texas City Grandcamp Freighter Explosion -- 516
  35. 1949-1952 -- Polio -- 6,000+
  36. 1957 -- Influenza Epidemic -- 70,000
  37. 1957 -- Hurricane Audrey, June -- 390
  38. 1966 -- Illinois Heat Wave July 1-31 (“excess deaths”) -- 1,148
  39. 1968 -- Influenza Epidemic -- 28,000
  40. 1986 -- New York City Heat Wave Aug 9-15 -- 1,001
  41. 1995 – Heat Wave (Particularly Chicago) -- ~739
  42. 2001 -- 9/11 Terrorist Attacks -- ~3,000
  43. 2005 -- Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana, Miss. AL, FL -- ~1,300


SOURCES (Partial List)

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Winchester, Simon. A Crack in The Edge Of The World – America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906. Harper Collins Publishers, 2005.