Democracy Dies in Darkness

Hurricanes have become deadlier in recent decades, study shows

The storms have disproportionately affected the most socially vulnerable communities, including older adults and Indigenous, Black and Brown communities

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Updated August 16, 2023 at 4:04 p.m. EDT|Published August 16, 2023 at 2:17 p.m. EDT
A man stands in a flooded street as Hurricane Irma hits Miami on Sept. 10, 2017. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)
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Hurricanes have become deadlier and have disproportionately affected the most socially vulnerable communities, according to a study released Wednesday in Science Advances.

The study estimated that, from 1988 to 2019, Atlantic hurricanes caused nearly 20,000 direct and indirect deaths up to a month after the event. The majority of deaths occurred from cyclones after 2004. Ninety percent of all deaths were in more socially vulnerable county groups, including older adults and Indigenous, Black and Brown communities.