Deaths related to flooding hit a five-year high in 2021 – the third-highest count since 2010 and the highest since 2017 – according to National Weather Service (NWS) data.
Perhaps the saddest aspect of last year’s 145 fatalities is the fact that a majority were preventable. More than half stemmed from people driving into floodwaters, according to the NWS.
Last year was notable for the amount of inland flooding experienced. Tennessee, which had the most flood fatalities (29), experienced record-setting rainfall in August, when just over 20 inches of rain fell in McEwen in just 24 hours.
New Jersey had the second-highest number of flood-related deaths (28). Hurricane Ida, which had weakened to a tropical storm by the time it arrived in the Northeast, dumped nearly 10 inches on parts of the state on Sept. 1.
The dramatic rise in flood fatalities, from 59 in 2020, and the connection with driver behavior underscore two important trends: climate-related risk and increased reckless driving since the onset of the pandemic.