The actual Puerto Rico death toll from Hurricane Maria is 21 times higher than previously reported - InsuranceNewsNet

InsuranceNewsNet

Sign in
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home Now reading newswires
Topics
  • Life Insurance
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits
  • Property & Casualty
  • Advisor News
  • Washington Wire
  • Fiduciary Rule
  • INN Exclusives
  • Newswires
  • INNsider
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • Magazine
Sign in or register to be an INNsider.
  • INN Exclusives
  • NewsWires
  • ★ Regulation News
  • Podcast
  • Magazine
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Staff
  • Contact
  • Susbcribe

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google+
Insider
newswires
newswires RSS Get our newsletter
Order Prints Share
August 9, 2018 newswires No comments Views: 11

The actual Puerto Rico death toll from Hurricane Maria is 21 times higher than previously reported

New York Daily News, The (NY)

Aug. 09--Almost 11 months after Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico, officials have conceded that more than 1,400 people were likely killed by the storm, a dramatic rise from the official death toll of 64.

A report to Congress posted online Thursday said that, on June 13, the government of Puerto Rico admitted that 1,427 more people had died in the four months after Maria, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 20, than in the previous four years at the same time.

"Similarly, independent researchers analyzing vital statistics data found that about 1,000 more people died in September and October 2017 than normal, largely in the hurricane's path or in mountainous rural areas," the report read.

The government had previously acknowledged the higher toll when a judge forced officials to release the death records after being sued by CNN and the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico.

Thursday's report, titled "Transformation and Innovation in the Wake of Devastation: An Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan for Puerto Rico," examines why the country was so inadequately prepared for Maria.

"Because the resources available for response were inadequate for the scale of the disaster, the failure of the lifeline systems meant that emergency services were severely compromised and residents lacked electricity, food and water for a prolonged period. And with roads impassable, residents had limited access to medical care," the report read.

"After the hurricanes, people lost their jobs, schools were closed, government services and private enterprise could no longer operate effectively, landslides caused flooding hazards, and wastewater polluted marine environments. Older adults, children, individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses and women were all disproportionately affected by this disaster."

President Trump has long touted the low death toll as evidence of the effectiveness of federal aid sent to the island. Promised $23 billion, Omar Marrero, the director of Puerto Rico's Central Recovery and Reconstruction Office, said in March that the country had received just $1.27 billion for its federal assistance nutrition program and $430 million to help repair public infrastructure.

"Every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina and you look at the tremendous -- hundreds and hundreds of people that died -- and you look at what happened here with, really, a storm that was just totally overpowering...no one has ever seen anything like this," Trump told Puerto Rican officials in October, when the official toll sat at 16.

"Sixteen people versus in the thousands. You can be very proud of all of your people and all of our people working together. Sixteen versus literally thousands of people. You can be very proud. Everybody watching can really be very proud of what's taken place in Puerto Rico."

___

(c)2018 New York Daily News

Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Older

Investigators at HealthCore Describe Findings in Immunization (Impact of Medical and/or Pharmacy Reimbursement on Adult Vaccination Rates)

Newer

Peter Morici: A reasonable man under siege: Why Democrats are foolish to oppose the Kavanaugh nomination

Advisor News

  • MDRT Study Finds Consumers Want Advisors Over Tech
  • Your Clients Should Plan Retirement Savings To Last 23 Years
  • Robert Moore Steps Down As CEO Of Cetera, Due To Health Reasons
  • Financial Advisor Fined In $1M Scam
  • Mercer Advisors Acquires Arbor Asset Management
More Advisor News

Annuity News

  • Nick Lane Assumes Role As President Of AXA Equitable Life
  • Annuity Sales Spiked 14 Percent In 2018, No Slowdown In Sight
  • Speak Out: NAIC Gets Plenty Of Advice On Annuity Sales Rule
  • Lincoln Financial Introduces Annuity Designed For Retirement Rollover Dollars
  • IRI Urges NAIC To Proceed Cooperatively With SEC On Suitability
More Annuity News

Health/Employee Benefits

  • Government Headed For Close To Half The Nation’s Health Tab
  • National Health Expenditures To Hit $6T By 2027, CMS Predicts
  • Florida Governor Wants To Import Drugs From Canada
  • Dems Grapple With ‘Socialism’ Label On Health Care
  • One-in-Five U.S. Rural Hospitals At Risk Of Closing: Study
More Health/Employee Benefits

Life Insurance

  • AIG Sets New Term Life Insurance Rates
  • Northwestern Mutual Reports Strong 2018 Financial Results
  • Florida Police: Niece Steals $188,000, Life Insurance, From Aunt
  • P/C Broker Gallagher Widens Retirement Practice Into IMO Space
  • MDRT Study Finds Consumers Want Technology To Complement, Not Replace Human Advisors
Sponsor
More Life Insurance

Sign up for our FREE e-Newsletter!

Get breaking news, exclusive stories, and money- making insights straight into your inbox.
select Newsletter Options

Most Popular

  • Annuity Sales Spiked 14 Percent In 2018, No Slowdown In Sight
  • Private Equity Targets Insurance Agencies For M&A Activity
  • Understanding The Benefits Of Whole Life Insurance
  • 3 Life Settlement Trends To Watch In 2019
  • Penn Mutual Growing Its Agent Force

Featured Offers

Text Ads

Press ReleasesAll press releases

  • LegacyShield® Launches MyTax, An Integrated Solution for Simplified, Professionally Prepared, Tax Returns
  • Nassau Re Launches Insurtech Incubator Will Give Space and Support to Startups in Hartford
  • Peerfit Prepares for Medicare Expansion with Peerfit Move, Recruits Industry Veteran
  • Great American’s Annuity Customers Share Their Secrets to a Great Retirement
  • Securian Financial Introduces Affordable, Protection-Focused IUL with No-Lapse Guarantee
Add your Press Release >

Topics

  • Life Insurance
  • Annuity News
  • Health/Employee Benefits
  • Property and Casualty News
  • Advisor News
  • Washington Wire
  • Regulation

Top Sections

  • INN Exclusives
  • INN Insider

Our Company

  • About
  • Editorial Staff
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Sign up for our FREE e-Newsletter!

Get breaking news, exclusive stories, and money- making insights straight into your inbox.

select Newsletter Options
Facebook Linkedin Twitter Google+
© 2019 InsuranceNewsNet.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • AdvisorNews

Sign in with your INNsider Account

Not registered? Become an INNsider.