Puerto Rico increases Hurricane Maria death toll to 2,975
Officials in Puerto Rico now say 2,975 people died following Hurricane Maria - a devastating storm that struck the US island territory in September 2017. The revised death toll is nearly 50 times the previous estimate of 64.
Governor Ricardo Rossello "accepted" the findings in a long-awaited independent investigation. The mayor of the capital, San Juan, accused the US government of deliberately downplaying the impact of the storm.
Puerto Rico has struggled to repair its infrastructure and power grid since the storm, and is asking US Congress for $139bn (£108bn) in recovery funds.
[...] The government's initial number was for those killed directly by the hurricane, crushed by collapsing buildings, drowned or hit by flying debris.
But the new report also counted those who died in the six months following the storm as a result of poor healthcare provision and a lack of electricity and clean water. Repeated power cuts also led to an increased number of deaths from diabetes and sepsis.
George Washington University (GWU) report: Ascertainment of the Estimated Excess Mortality from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
Previously: Puerto Rican Death Toll From Hurricane Maria May be Many Times Higher Than Official Estimate
(Score: 0, Troll) by jmorris on Wednesday August 29 2018, @08:20PM (1 child)
In other words we are reclassifying "Deaths due to Democratic Party incompetence" to "Hurricane" because the reality would be politically embarrassing. The truth of the matter is the local clusterf*ck of a government was so screwed up aid couldn't get in. It was like shoveling aid into an African country, a waste of everyone's time. The electrical grid was a disaster before the storm and non-existent after. Of course this is all Trump's fault and if there is parts even CNN can't find a way to attribute the blame for to Trump, then it was Bush. The local corrupt government and the Obama administration are of course not eligible for blame since that would be straight up racism.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 29 2018, @10:02PM
Does your mouth taste like cheetoh dust?