Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 29 august 2018

Report: Nearly 3,000 deaths in Puerto Rico linked to Maria

By DANICA COTO by bacteria, rose from 708
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) in 2016 to 835 last year.
— Hurricane Maria killed Deaths from diabetes went
nearly 3,000 people in Puer- from 3,151 to 3,250, and
to Rico in the desperate, deaths from heart illnesses
sweltering months after the increased from 5,417 to
storm — almost double the 5,586.
previous government es- Bethzaida Rosado said
timate — with the elderly government and health
and impoverished hit hard- care officials were not pre-
est, according to an inde- pared for the storm, and
pendent study ordered by she is still angry her 76-year-
the U.S. territory. old mother died because
The new estimate of 2,975 oxygen tanks were not
dead in the six months af- available on the island af-
ter Maria devastated the ter the hurricane.
island in September 2017 "Do you know what it's like
and knocked out the entire to see your mother run out
electrical grid was made of oxygen?" she said. "I
by researchers with the don't wish that on anyone."
Milken Institute School of Months ago, the Rossello
Public Health at George administration stopped
Washington University. It In this Oct. 5, 2017 file photo, Puerto Rican national flag is mounted on debris of damaged home updating its official death
was released Tuesday. in aftermath of Hurricane Maria in seaside slum La Perla, San Juan, Puerto Rico. toll at 64 and ordered the
"We are hopeful that the Associated Press independent investigation
government will accept amid suspicions the dead
this as an official death higher than the same pe- Washington researchers Researchers with George were substantially under-
toll," said Lynn Goldman, riod in previous years, Gold- counted in Puerto Rico. Washington said they counted.
dean of the institute. "A les- man said. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a counted deaths over the The first phase of the study
son from this is that efforts The office of Puerto Rico New York Democrat, said span of six months — a cost $305,000. In the sec-
for assistance and recovery Gov. Ricardo Rossello did the report shows the U.S. much longer period than ond phase, the researchers
need to focus as much as not immediately return a government failed the usual — because so many plan to focus on the causes
possible on lower-income message for comment. people of Puerto Rico. people were without pow- of death.
areas, on people who are The number of dead has "These numbers are only er during that time. The researchers found that
older, who are more vulner- political implications for the latest to underscore "That caused a number the risk of death was 45 per-
able." the Trump administration, that the federal response of issues," Goldman said, cent higher for those living
The finding is almost twice which was accused of re- to the hurricanes was disas- adding that people were in impoverished commu-
the government's previous sponding half-heartedly to trously inadequate and, as forced to exert themselves nities, and that men older
estimate, included in a re- the disaster. Shortly after a result, thousands of our physically or were exposed than 65 saw a continuous
cent report to Congress, the storm, when the official fellow American citizens to intense heat without fans elevated risk of death.
that there were 1,427 more death toll stood at 16, Presi- lost their lives," she said in a or air conditioning. "It's fairly They also reported that
deaths than normal in the dent Donald Trump mar- statement. striking that you have so physicians and others told
three months after the veled over the small loss of There is no national stan- many households without them that Puerto Rico's
storm. life compared to that of "a dard for how to count electricity for so long. That's government did not notify
The George Washington real catastrophe like Ka- disaster-related deaths. unusual in the U.S. after a them about federal guide-
researchers said the offi- trina." While the National Hurri- disaster." lines on how to document
cial count from the Sept. 20 Hurricane Katrina, which cane Center reports only Puerto Rico's government deaths related to a major
hurricane was low in part struck New Orleans in 2005, direct deaths, such as released data in June disaster.
because doctors were not was directly responsible for those caused by flying de- showing increases in sev- "Others expressed reluc-
trained in how to classify about 1,200 deaths, ac- bris or drowning, some lo- eral illnesses in 2017 that tance to relate deaths to
deaths after a disaster. cording to the National Hur- cal governments may in- could have been linked to hurricanes due to concern
The number of deaths from ricane Center. That does clude indirect deaths from the storm: Cases of sep- about the subjectivity of this
September 2017 to Febru- not include indirect deaths such things as heart attacks sis, a serious bloodstream determination and about li-
ary 2018 was 22 percent of the sort the George and house fires. infection usually caused ability," the report said.q