Youth Mortality by Forces of Nature

This research note examines children's mortality resulting from forces of nature, including heat exposure, cold exposure, storms and flooding, lightning strikes, avalanches, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Data indicate that in the United States, children's risk of death resulting from natural disasters is relatively low. However, differential risks exist depending on the type of hazard agent involved and between youth populations based on age, gender, and race. Specifically, analyses of mortality data show that risk of death by natural disaster among youth cohorts age 0–24 is highest for infants, the most fragile and dependent segment of our population. The death rate for male children is higher than the death rate for female children across all age cohorts. Data on race indicate that African American male children between the ages of 0–4 are most at risk for death by disaster, while white male children between the ages of 5–24 are most at risk. In terms of risk by age by hazard type, infants and very young children age 0–4 are most likely to die of exposure to extreme heat, 5–14 year-olds are most likely to die in cataclysmic storms and flood events, and youth age 15–24 are most likely to die of excessive cold. These findings have important implications for future research and policy decisions associated with protecting children and youth in disasters.