Truth about Puerto Rico hurricane deaths caused by Maria
Wall Street Journal report
(Natalie Andrews contributed to this article)
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| June 1 file photo, a child shines a light on hundreds of shoes at a memorial for those killed by Hurricane Maria, in front of the Puerto Rico Capitol in San Juan. Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP |
"This tragic loss of life of our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico is unconscionable. We must do more to both hold this administration accountable for a terrible response and help Puerto Rico recover, rebuild and thrive again."
Puerto Rico's government acknowledged in a document filed to the US Congress on Wednesday, that the death toll from Hurricane Maria last year may have exceeded 1,400, though the official count stands at (a lie!) 64.
The administration of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has faced criticism that it severely undercounted the number of fatalities stemming from the storm. Numerous studies by academic researchers and media organizations have concluded the death toll likely approached or surpassed 1,000 and could have been far higher.
The administration’s acknowledgment, reported earlier by the New York Times, appears in a lengthy document posted online Thursday detailing its recovery and reconstruction plan to Congress, with a wish list of $139 billion worth of projects.
“Although the initial death count released by the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety was 64, the toll appears to be higher,” the document reads. Based on death registries data released in June, “there were 1,427 more deaths in the four months after the hurricanes than normal (based on the previous four years).”
Documents report that the deaths “may or may not be attributable” to Hurricanes Maria and Irma, which struck the island weeks earlier.
“We always anticipated that this number would increase as more official studies were conducted,” said Héctor Pesquera, secretary of Puerto Rico’s Department of Public Safety, on Thursday. But the figure of 1,427 “is not the official number of deaths,” he said. “That number was not the result of an independent study—it is simple math.”
The document also cites various analyses that have questioned the official count. Those include a study released in May by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other institutions that concluded the number of hurricane-related deaths likely ranged from about 800 to 8,500.
The administration’s acknowledgment, reported earlier by the New York Times, appears in a lengthy document posted online Thursday detailing its recovery and reconstruction plan to Congress, with a wish list of $139 billion worth of projects.
“Although the initial death count released by the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety was 64, the toll appears to be higher,” the document reads. Based on death registries data released in June, “there were 1,427 more deaths in the four months after the hurricanes than normal (based on the previous four years).”
Documents report that the deaths “may or may not be attributable” to Hurricanes Maria and Irma, which struck the island weeks earlier.
“We always anticipated that this number would increase as more official studies were conducted,” said Héctor Pesquera, secretary of Puerto Rico’s Department of Public Safety, on Thursday. But the figure of 1,427 “is not the official number of deaths,” he said. “That number was not the result of an independent study—it is simple math.”
The document also cites various analyses that have questioned the official count. Those include a study released in May by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other institutions that concluded the number of hurricane-related deaths likely ranged from about 800 to 8,500.
A study released earlier this month by researchers at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Texas at San Antonio put the number of fatalities at 1,139.
Mr. Rosselló’s administration said it would update the official death toll after a study by George Washington University is completed later this summer. The government commissioned the study in December in the face of criticism about its handling of the fatality count.
The 531-page plan submitted to Congress, titled “Transformation and Innovation in the Wake of Devastation,” covers a wide range of proposed reconstruction projects.
It includes $33 billion for housing initiatives, $26 billion for energy projects and $15 billion for education.
“It is a comprehensive plan for a stronger Puerto Rico,” said Omar Marrero, executive director of the island’s Central Recovery and Reconstruction Office, in a news release accompanying the plan.
Democrats in Congress responded to the latest report on the hurricane death toll by calling for more aid for the islands, though lawmakers didn’t say if they would push for Mr. Rosselló’s request.
A Democratic aide said Rep. Nita Lowey, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, would “carefully review” the plan.
“This tragic loss of life of our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico is unconscionable,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Twitter. “We must do more to both hold this administration accountable for a terrible response and help Puerto Rico recover, rebuild and thrive again.”
Since Oct. 1, 2017, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has designated more than $13.7 billion for Puerto Rico.
Congress is set to appropriate $7 billion to FEMA’s disaster relief fund for next year. Some of that money will go to Puerto Rico, but it is not intended to help with the long-term projects that Puerto Rico is requesting.
—Natalie Andrews contributed to this article.
—Natalie Andrews contributed to this article.
Labels: FEMA, Governor Ricardo Rosselló, Natalie Andrews, Senator Chuck Schumer, Wall Street Journal
posted by Juliana L'Heureux | 4:56 AM
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