A new review of Hurricane Katrina data finds the storm killed about 25 percent fewer deaths than previously believed.
A reappraisal by the National Hurricane Center estimates total fatalities from the August 29, 2005 storm to be 1,392, about 400 fewer than before. Of those, 520 are directly attributed to the storm, 565 are considered indirect fatalities, and 307 are of indeterminate causes.
Even with the downward revision, Katrina still ranks as one of the deadliest storms to strike the United States, and the third-deadliest since 1900. The 1900 Galveston hurricane (more than 8,000 fatalities) and the 1928 Lake Okeechobee, Florida hurricane (more than 2,500 fatalities) are the only storms since then that were deadlier.
Katrina also remains the most-expensive storm in damages adjusted for inflation, with $186.3 billion in losses in 2022 dollars.
