Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, stated that he wants a “thorough review and inspection of all deaths that have taken place since Hurricane Maria hit, regardless of what the death certificate says.” The inspection is due to the death toll released by the government indicating Hurricane Maria only left 16 deaths.
Deaths related to the hurricane may be higher, said Rosselló on Monday in Washington. He ordered the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry and the Department of Public Safety to investigate media reports on the death toll after residents claiming deaths caused by Maria.
“We always expected that the number of hurricane-related deaths would increase as we received more factual information — not hearsay — and this review will ensure we are correctly counting everybody,” he said. Given the level of destruction on the island, going from blocked streets, infrastructure and thousands of people without electricity, the official number of deaths was inconsistent from the start.
President Donald Trump applauded the official toll, indicating that it was something entirely remarkable if we compared Puerto Rico’s numbers, to the ones caused by Hurricane Katrina. “If you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, you can be very proud of all your people,” he said.
Even though Rosselló ordered the review, he could not agree that the deaths reached almost 1,000, according to the media. He also said that the government could not relate any fatality to the hurricane and that every life is more than a number.
“Every death must have a name and vital information attached to it, as well as an accurate accounting of the facts related to their passing,” Rosselló said.
This article was inspired by Washington Post // Puerto Rico governor orders recount of hurricane death toll