List of disasters in the United States by death toll
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This list of United States disasters by death toll includes disasters that occurred either in the United States, at diplomatic missions of the United States, or incidents outside of the United States in which a number of U.S. citizens were killed.
- Domestic deaths due to war in America are included except the American Civil War. For stats on this and U.S. military deaths in foreign locations, see United States military casualties of war.
- Due to inflation, the monetary damage estimates are not comparable. Unless otherwise noted, the year given is the year in which the currency's valuation was calculated.
Over 1,000,000 deaths[edit]
Year | Type | Fatalities | Damage (US$) | Article | Location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 – present | Pandemic | 1,016,000+ [1] | see Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States | COVID-19 pandemic in the United States | Throughout the United States | Fatalities are accurate. Remains the deadliest disaster in United States history. |
Over 100,000 deaths[edit]
Year | Type | Fatalities | Damage (US$) | Article | Location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 – present | Pandemic | 700,000 [2] | HIV/AIDS in the United States | Throughout the United States | Fatalities estimated. Remains the second-deadliest disaster in United States history. | |
1918 – 1920 | Pandemic | 675,000 [3] | 1918 influenza pandemic | Throughout the United States | Fatalities estimated. Remains the third-deadliest disaster in United States history. | |
1957 – 1958 | Pandemic | 116,000 [4] | 1957–1958 influenza pandemic | Throughout the United States | Fatalities estimated. Remains the fourth-deadliest disaster in United States history. | |
1968 | Pandemic | 100,000 [5] | 1968 influenza pandemic | Throughout the United States | Fatalities estimated. Remains the fifth-deadliest disaster in United States history. |
Epidemics with lower death tolls are not included below. See List of epidemics for global statistics.
Over 400 deaths[edit]
Year | Type | Fatalities | Damage (US$) | Article | Location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1900 | Tropical cyclone | 6,000–12,000 | $34,000,000 (1900) | 1900 Galveston hurricane | Texas | Fatalities estimated. Remains the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. |
1936 | Heat wave | 5,000 | 1936 North American heat wave | United States, Canada | ||
1862 | Flood | 4,000+ | $100,000,000 (1862) |
Great Flood of 1862 | Western United States | |
1899 | Tropical cyclone | 3,389 | $20,000,000 (1899) |
1899 San Ciriaco hurricane | Puerto Rico, East Coast of the United States | |
1906 | Earthquake and fire (urban conflagration) | 3,000+ | $235,000,000 (1906) |
1906 San Francisco earthquake | San Francisco, California | Conflagration followed quake; fatalities estimated; also major casualties in Santa Rosa and San Jose. Deadliest earthquake in U.S. history. |
2001 | Terrorism | 2,996 | $10,000,000,000 (2001) |
September 11 attacks | New York City, Arlington County, Virginia, and Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania | 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers. Deadliest in New York City and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. |
2017 | Tropical cyclone | 2,982 (estimated) | $94,500,000,000 (2017)[6] |
Hurricane Maria | Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, East Coast of the United States | Total includes at least 2,975 deaths based on a study by GWU on the estimated excess mortality.[7] The official death count was previously 64.[8] The storm caused $90 billion (2017 USD) in damage in Puerto Rico, and three deaths in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as an additional 75 deaths and $1.6 billion in damage across the rest of the Caribbean. |
1928 | Tropical cyclone | 2,823 | $800,000,000 (2005) |
1928 Okeechobee hurricane | Florida, Puerto Rico | 4,000+ believed dead total. Includes 2,511+ in the contiguous United States, 312 in Puerto Rico. |
1941 | Military strike – bombing | 2,467 | Attack on Pearl Harbor | Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii and nearby military installations | 2,403 U.S. victims and 64 Japanese attackers. Deadliest attack on U.S. soil by a foreign government to date. | |
1889 | Accident – dam burst | 2,209 | Johnstown Flood | Pennsylvania | Much rain, deforestation; dam failed | |
1893 | Tropical cyclone | 2,000 | 1893 Cheniere Caminada hurricane | Louisiana | Fatalities estimated | |
1865 | Accident – shipwreck | 1,700 | Sultana | Marion, Arkansas | Steamboat sank due to boiler explosion; fatalities estimated. Deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history | |
1980 | Heat wave | 1,700 | $20,000,000,000 (1980 USD) |
1980 United States heat wave | Central and southern states | Official death toll, may have been higher |
1871 | Wildfire | 1,500–2,500 | Peshtigo Fire | Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula of Michigan | Fatalities estimated; most deaths in single fire in U.S. history | |
1896 | Heat wave | 1,500 | 1896 Eastern North America heat wave | Northeastern United States, Midwestern United States | Fatalities estimated | |
2005 | Tropical cyclone | 1,245–1,836 | $125,000,000,000
(2005) |
Hurricane Katrina | Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Ohio | Tied with Hurricane Harvey as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. |
1943 | Military strike – bombing | 1,173 | HMT Rohna[9] | Mediterranean Sea | Luftwaffe glide bomb hit troopship causing the largest loss of U.S. soldiers (1,050) at sea due to enemy action in a single incident. | |
1904 | Accident – shipwreck | 1,021 | PS General Slocum | East River near New York City | Steamship sank due to fire on board. Deadliest maritime disaster in New York City, and deadliest in city's history until 2001. | |
1893 | Tropical cyclone | 1,000–2,000 | 1893 Sea Islands hurricane | Georgia, South Carolina | Fatalities estimated | |
1918 | Wildfire (rural) | 1,000 | $7,300,000 | 1918 Cloquet fire | Minnesota | |
1978 | Mass murder | 918 | Jonestown | Jonestown, Guyana | Jim Jones, cult leader of the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, convinced most of the group to drink grape Flavor Aid poisoned with cyanide or to inject themselves and their children with cyanide, totaling 909 deaths of U.S. nationals. A family of four other Temple members committed murder/suicide by knife in Georgetown. Five others were shot and killed while trying to escape from Jonestown, including U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan. | |
1945 | Military strike – submarine | 879 | USS Indianapolis[10] | Philippine Sea | Largest loss of life in the history of the U.S. Navy at sea | |
1915 | Accident – shipwreck | 844 | SS Eastland | Chicago, Illinois | Passenger ship capsized in Chicago harbor while loading charter for company picnic, causing great loss of life despite shallow water and proximity to land. Deadliest disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping, and deadliest disaster in Chicago history. | |
1944 | Military strike – submarine | 819 | SS Léopoldville[11] | English Channel | Approximately 763 United States Army soldiers drowned. | |
1875 | Tropical cyclone | 800 | 1875 Indianola hurricane | Louisiana, Texas | Fatalities estimated | |
1944 | Military strike – E-boats | 749 | Exercise Tiger | English Channel | USS LST-289, LST-507 and LST-531 sunk during a training exercise.[12] | |
1925 | Tornado outbreak | 747 | $1,650,000,000 (2005) |
Tornado outbreak of March 18, 1925 | Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee | At least 12 tornadoes, including the following:
|
1919 | Tropical cyclone | 745 | 1919 Florida Keys hurricane | Florida, Texas | Including 488 deaths aboard SS Valbanera | |
1995 | Heat wave | 739 | Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 | Chicago, Illinois | ||
1942 | Military strike – submarine | 683 | USS Juneau[13] | Guadalcanal | Sunk by submarine while retreating with damage from naval battle of Guadalcanal. | |
1938 | Tropical cyclone | 682–800 | 1938 New England hurricane | |||
1943 | Military strike – submarine | 675 | SS Dorchester[14] | Greenland | United States troopship. | |
1913 | Flood | 650 | Great Flood of 1913 | Central United States, Eastern United States | Fatalities estimated | |
1943 | Military strike – submarine | 644 | USS Liscombe Bay[15] | Gilbert Islands | Submarine torpedo detonated the aircraft carrier's bomb magazine during Operation Galvanic. | |
1903 | Fire (building) | 602 | Iroquois Theatre fire | Chicago, Illinois | Worst theater fire in American history; worst single-building fire. | |
1928 | Accident – dam failure | 600 | St. Francis Dam | Santa Clarita, California | ||
1947 | Accident – explosion | 581 | Texas City disaster | Texas City, Texas | Ammonium nitrate on board ship | |
1896 | Tornado outbreak sequence | 501+ | $2,900,000,000 (1997) |
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 1896 | Central United States, Southern United States | At least 38 tornadoes, including the following:
|
1804 | Tropical cyclone | 500+ | 1804 Antigua–Charleston hurricane | Southeastern United States | ||
1865 | Accident – fire, shipwreck | 500 | American steamship General Lyon (1864) | Off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina | Fatalities estimated | |
1871 | Wildfire (rural) | 500 | Great Michigan Fire | Michigan | Fatalities estimated | |
1942 | Fire (building) | 492 | Cocoanut Grove fire | Boston, Massachusetts | Deadliest nightclub fire ever, and second-deadliest structure fire in U.S. history; loss of life due to blocked exits; burn victims were among the first treated with penicillin | |
1927 | Exploitation, silicosis | 476–1,000+ | Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster | Gauley Bridge, West Virginia | 178 admitted deaths, 476 with congressional inquiry, 1,000+ by epidemiologists. | |
1936 | Tornado outbreak | 454+ | 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak | Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee | At least 12 tornadoes, including the following:
| |
1913 | Flood | 428 | 1913 (Ohio) statewide flood | Ohio | ||
1894 | Wildfire (rural) | 418+ | Great Hinckley Fire | Hinckley, Minnesota and vicinity | ||
1957 | Tropical cyclone | 416 | $147,000,000 (1957) |
Hurricane Audrey | Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama | |
1935 | Tropical cyclone | 408 | 1935 Labor Day hurricane | Florida |
201 to 400 deaths[edit]
81 to 200 deaths[edit]
41 to 80 deaths[edit]
15 to 40 deaths[edit]
See also[edit]
- List of disasters in Antarctica by death toll
- List of disasters in Australia by death toll
- List of disasters in Canada by death toll
- List of disasters in Croatia by death toll
- List of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland by death toll
- List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll
- List of disasters in Poland by death toll
References[edit]
- ^ COVID Data Tracker - United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- ^ The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States: The Basics - Kaiser Family Foundation
- ^ 1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus) - United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- ^ 1957-1958 Pandemic (H2N2 virus) - United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- ^ 1968 Pandemic (H3N2 virus) - United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- ^ "Hurricane Costs". www.coast.noaa.gov. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ "Ascertainment of the estimated excess mortality from Hurricane María in Puerto Rico" (PDF). www.publichealth.gwu.edu. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- ^ Kishore, Nishant; Marqués, Domingo; Mahmud, Ayesha; Kiang, Mathew V.; Rodriguez, Irmary; Fuller, Arlan; Ebner, Peggy; Sorensen, Cecilia; Racy, Fabio; Lemery, Jay; Maas, Leslie; Leaning, Jennifer; Irizarry, Rafael A.; Balsari, Satchit; Buckee, Caroline O. (2018). "Mortality in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria". New England Journal of Medicine. 379 (2): 162–170. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1803972. PMID 29809109.
- ^ Wise, James E; Baron, Scott (2003). Soldiers lost at sea: a chronicle of troopship disasters. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. pp. 25, 31&101. ISBN 978-1-59114-966-8.
- ^ "In death, WWII survivor joins shipmates". NBC News. The Associated Press. October 31, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ "Leopoldville". Uboat.net. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ Fenton, Ben (April 26, 2004). "The disaster that could have scuppered Overlord". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ^ Frank, Richard B (1990). Guadalcanal. Random House. p. 459. ISBN 978-0-394-58875-9.
- ^ "Dorchester". Uboat.net. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ Brown, David (1995). Warship Losses of World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-55750-914-7.
- ^ a b c Eric S. Blake; Edward N. Rappaport; Christopher W. Landsea (2007). "The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones From 1851 to 2006" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
- ^ Tempest, Mark. "Sunday Ship History: USS Mount Hood (AE-11)". EagleSpeak. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ Peter Aldhous, Stephanie M. Lee and Zarah Hirji (May 26, 2021). "The Texas Winter Storm And Power Outages Killed Hundreds More People Than The State Says". Buzzfeed News. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ Morison, Samuel Eliot (1975). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume I The Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1943. Little, Brown and Company. p. 336.
- ^ Henderson, John R. "Demographics of the TITANIC Passengers: Deaths, Survivals, Nationality, and Lifeboat Occupancy". ICYouSee. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ Gill, Julian (October 8, 2018). "Deadly NY limo crash stark reminder of bus fire that killed 23 from Bellaire". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ "Water and Ice: The Tragic Wrecks of the Bristol and the Mexico on the South Shore of Long Island" @ www.Lynhistory.com
- ^ a b Indiana Plane Crashes Archived 2013-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Long, Heather; Berman, Mark; Hawkins, Derek (October 2, 2017). "Las Vegas gunman kills at least 58 in shooting rampage, 500 more injured". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ Pirani, Fiza (October 2, 2017). "Was the Las Vegas gunman a terrorist? Under Nevada law, possibly. Under federal law? Not exactly". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ "Hurricane Michael upgraded to a Category 5 at time of U.S. landfall | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration". www.noaa.gov.
- ^ https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL142018_Michael.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Goliath: The Deadliest U.S Storm System of 2015". The Weather Channel. December 30, 2015.
- ^ "San Francisco Call 10 July 1892 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu.
- ^ Burton, Laura M. "Ardmore Gas Explosion." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed August 18, 2018.
- ^ Williams, Reed; Morrison, Shawna (April 26, 2007). "Police: No motive found". The Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
- ^ "Keansburg, NJ Boarding Home Fire, Jan 1981 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods". .gendisasters.com. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ "Wayland, NY Passenger Train Collision, Aug 1943". GenDisasters. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ "Memories of UE plane crash still linger". ECP.
- ^ Lawrence Messina (April 5, 2010). "West Virginia Coal Mine Explosion: 25 Dead After Massey Blast". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ "Documents: New details on Newtown school massacre". CNN. March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ "Savanna | The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture". www.okhistory.org.
- ^ "Natchitoches, LA Gas Pipeline Explosion, Mar 1965". GenDisasters.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2010.