Hazard-Related Deaths in the U.S. Each year, hundreds of people die from environment-related hazards. This graph shows the <b>distribution of deaths for 11 hazard categories as a percent of the total 19.958 deaths due to these hazards from 1970 to 2004</b>. Heat/drought is responsible for 19.7% of deaths, followed by severe weather (18.9%) which includes lightning, wind, and rain. <br><br> Note: This analysis ended prior to the 2005 hurricane season which resulted in approximately 2,000 deaths.deathshazardrelatedu.s.weather221320.0Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:30:58 -0700Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:53:26 -0700NataliePieGraphdefaultPercent of hazard-related deaths