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Roger Pielke, Jr. in AP article on Superstorm Sandy
Tallying Sandy’s death, damage becomes complex task
by Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
Tracking the toll of a disaster like Superstorm Sandy is not like keeping score at a baseball game. Its damage to lives and property may never be known precisely, and there are multiple ways to tally it.
In the case of deaths, tracking is done in some places by state governments, and in some by counties, and without one standard as to whether a death is attributable to the storm.
The federal government has reported two different death totals from the Oct. 29, 2012, storm. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, relying on data from the American Red Cross, counted 117. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration tally, which used local government figures and media accounts, was 159 caused directly or indirectly by the storm. Read more …
