Mortality Surveillance During Winter Storm Uri, United States - 2021

On February 12, 2021, Winter Storm Uri hit the United States. To understand the disaster-related causes and circumstances of death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated media mortality surveillance.

The team searched the internet daily for key terms related to Uri and compiled the information into a standardized media mortality surveillance database to conduct descriptive statistics.

Between February 12 and March 2, 2021, the accessed media reported 136 Uri-related deaths from nine states. Most decedents were male (39%) and adults (62.5%). Exposure to extreme temperatures (47.1%) was the most common cause of death. Among indirect deaths, motor vehicle collision (12.5%), and carbon monoxide poisoning (7.4%) represented the top two circumstances.

This was the first time CDC activated media mortality surveillance for a winter storm. Media mortality surveillance is useful in assessing the impact of a disaster and provides timely data for an all-hazards response approach.