Almost a year after the devastating storm struck the island, Puerto Rico’s governor on Tuesday raised the official death toll from Hurricane Maria from 64 to 2,975, a dramatic increase on the previous official figure in response to a new study that found the initial numbers reported were undercounted.
The death toll was changed for the first time since December, following the publication of new research by George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.
The government’s previous estimated death toll was 1,400 which is more than double.
“We never anticipated a scenario of zero communication, zero energy, zero highway access,” Rossello said. “I think the lesson is to anticipate the worst.”
“This is unprecedented devastation,” Gov. Ricardo Rossello told reporters.
But the new death toll is only an approximation, not a concrete list of names, Rossello said.
There’s no national standard calculation about disaster-related deaths. While the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports only direct deaths, such as those caused by flying debris or drowning, some local governments may include indirect deaths from things as heart attacks and house fires.
> Shiuly Rina
The Cause of Death Toll by Hurricane Maria Raises from 64 to 2,975 in Puerto Rico
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