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More Than 1000 May Have Died in Hurricane Maria

Photo credit: Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
Photo credit: Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved

From Esquire

Hurricane Maria's official death count for Puerto Rico - just 64 people - always seemed discordant with the extent of the island’s devastation, and a new investigation by The New York Times confirms reports that the real death toll may be higher by hundreds.

In examining the 42 days after the hurricane hit the island, The Times found that 1,052 more people died than had during the same period in earlier years. And the newspaper isn’t alone - investigations by a Penn State professor, The Center for Investigative Journalism, and CNN have all found hundreds of storm-related deaths. Puerto Rico includes indirect storm deaths in their accounting, making the disparity all the more unusual:

The method used to count official storm deaths varies by state and locality. In some parts of the United States, medical examiners include only direct deaths, such as those caused by drowning in floodwaters. In Puerto Rico, however, Mr. Pesquera said, the medical examiner includes deaths caused indirectly by storms, such as suicides. That is why the gap between the official death toll and the hundreds of additional deaths is so striking.

If The Times’ numbers are correct, Hurricane Maria was the sixth deadliest hurricane since 1851.

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