Initial casualty figures from disasters can be notoriously inaccurate, as is being demonstrated once again as authorities backtrack on the number of fatalities from the Oklahoma tornadoes.
After tornadoes struck Joplin, Mo., in 2011, the list of missing people swelled to 1,500 as family members struggled for days to locate loved ones. The death count in Joplin eventually stood at 161.
In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York, officials initially believed 5,000 to 7,000 people were missing, said Ellen Borakove, a spokesman for the city medical examiner. The death total ended up at 2,753.
Since tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma on Monday afternoon, the reported death count has varied markedly—from 51 late Monday, to 91 early Tuesday and then declining sharply to 24 some hours later.
That number is likely to fluctuate in coming days, say medical and law-enforcement officials who have dealt with natural disasters and mass casualties.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said at a news conference Tuesday that officials didn't have a firm number of fatalities. "We are working real hard right now to get a more accurate count on the loss of life," she said.
The confusion isn't unusual. The aftermath of a high-casualty disaster, officials said, can be a chaotic scene filled with misinformation, thousands of frantic people, poor communication, blocked roads, hosts of hospitals working in tandem and floods of police and rescuers.
"The fog is thick, and it will be for some time," said Rob Chappel, the coroner in Joplin. "We didn't have any sort of a solid count for at least 48 hours." Added New York's Ms. Borakove: "Originally, you have information from any source you can find. Information is coming from everywhere."
Ms. Fallin said some of the Oklahoma victims had been taken to the state medical examiner's office, but officials also were trying to confirm reports that bodies were taken directly to funeral homes.
In Joplin, Mr. Chappel said, police and emergency personnel sifted through piles of rubble for weeks, looking for remains across miles. Individual remains were put in separate body bags, though some bags later were consolidated when identities were matched up, Mr. Chappel said.
Some remains at first thought to be those of humans proved otherwise after laboratory tests. Cadaver dogs often mistook animal remains, Mr. Chappel said.
For hours after the disasters in Joplin and New York, cellphone networks were overloaded or damaged. People were stranded and unable to reach relatives. That was true Tuesday near Oklahoma City, officials said.
Amid the disruption in Joplin and New York, a host of issues clouded the proper identification of the dead or missing. Calls flooded in to authorities from people reporting missing relatives and friends, but follow-up calls often weren't made after an individual was found.
Someone may report a Bill Johnson missing, while another friend or family member may report a William Johnson. Until it can be determined that these two people don't exist, the individuals are counted separately.
Mr. Chappel, the Joplin coroner, said friends would try to locate people who had moved away months or years ago. Calls inundated authorities' offices from media outlets around the world, leaving officials strapped to communicate.
"We love the press because it helps us get the word out, but the press also can really get in the way of your work," Mr. Chappel said.
Victims were taken to a host of hospitals over a wide area. It often would take hours or days before fatalities were reported, Mr. Chappel said. In New York, officials struggled with a similar handicap as victims were fanned out to hospitals across the city.
Wednesday 22 May 2013
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324102604578497272536297086.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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