Kumanichi provides some demographic stats on disaster death numbers. The upper graph shows deaths from the recent floods, totaling 65. Of those, 55, or 85%, were considered elderly (defined as 65 and over). The lower graph shows that those from the quakes, totaling 50, were more spread out over age groups, with the elderly making up 68%. A theory is that it is much more difficult for the elderly to survive a flood than an earthquake. - William