AP FACT CHECK: Trump stirs up a hurricane story
A look at his statements:
TRUMP: "3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit
THE FACTS: Trump's denial of nearly 3,000 deaths is baseless, however imprecise estimated death tolls can be from a disaster.
Independent researchers at
The study found that 22 percent more people died than would have been expected during that period in a year without the storm. Its central finding has been roughly corroborated by other, similar studies. A second phase will examine the circumstances of specific deaths to arrive at a more precise number.
"We are scientists," Dr.
Santos-Burgoa is a well-known expert in global health, particularly
Trump's claim that the death toll was no more than 18 when he visited
That's why the official death toll remained relatively low until researchers could examine death records and gain a broader understanding of people's circumstances.
It took years to assess the death toll from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 despite the relative accessibility of the
Trump was a one-man island in attributing the Puerto Rican death estimate to
Trump's reference to "two hurricanes" reflects that Hurricane Irma brushed past the island as a Category 5 storm two weeks before Maria made a direct hit as a Category 4.
COUNTING THE DEAD:
Even as Trump visited
On that trip, Trump jumped to the conclusion that
Santos-Burgoa said the stress of the moment and confusion over how deaths were supposed to be noted contributed to an underreporting of how many died from the storm.
Disaster deaths are usually categorized as direct or indirect. For a hurricane, direct deaths include people who drown in a storm surge or flooding, are hit by flying debris or crushed in a wind-toppled building. Indirect deaths are from heart attacks, house fires, electrocutions from downed power lines, car accidents and others fatalities that are less clearly tied to the elements.
Death certificates are the primary source of official death statistics in the
GWU study: https://tinyurl.com/yd83unyt
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EDITOR'S NOTE _ A look at the veracity of claims by political figures
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