Mortality tracking during a tornado outbreak in the Southeastern USA: December 2021

On December 10, 2021, tornadoes tore through six Southeastern states causing injuries, deaths, and property damage. To understand the disaster-related causes and circumstances of death, CDC's Disaster Epidemiology and Response Team (DERT) activated media-based mortality surveillance. CDC/DERT cross-checked the data collected via media-based mortality with Red Cross mortality surveillance forms received for Kentucky. We used Epi InfoTM to analyse mortality surveillance forms from the Red Cross for Kentucky deaths and cross-checked this data source with deaths collected through media mortality surveillance. Kentucky deaths between 10-23 December, 2021, 92 tornado-related deaths were reported from five states. Most decedents (83.7%) were reported from Kentucky. Blunt force trauma (68.5%) was the most common cause of death. Media-based mortality surveillance is a tool to assess the impacts of a disaster. It provides timely data which can be used for an all-hazards response and help inform overall response preparedness planning efforts.