To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) attends a news conference to discuss a comprehensive plan to address the immediate humanitarian needs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on November 28, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
As academic studies and news reports continue to show that Hurricane Maria killed far more people in Puerto Rico than government estimates suggest, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and nearly two dozen other members of Congress sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday denouncing the Trump administration's continued failure to provide an accurate death toll from the storm.
"It's already hurricane season and about 11,000 people in Puerto Rico still don't have power. We cannot leave them behind to face even more destruction."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
Highlighting the fact that a correct mortality count is "essential" for both "understanding the true severity of conditions on the ground" and calculating how much aid will be necessary for a just recovery, the lawmakers expressed alarm that "the Trump administration has never publicly expressed any concerns about the accuracy of the death count."
Aside from his boast last October that just 16 people had died from Hurricane Maria--an estimate that was slammed as a dramatic understatement at the time--President Donald Trump has been silent about the death toll from the storm, which he "conspicuously failed to mention" during a meeting at FEMA headquarters last week, the lawmakers note.
While the "official" death toll from Hurricane Maria stands at 64, a Harvard study published late last month concluded that the actual count could be more than 70 times higher. Additionally, as Sanders pointed out in a video posted to social media on Wednesday, thousands of Puerto Ricans are still without power eight months after the Category 4 storm slammed into the island.
\u201cIt's already hurricane season and about 11,000 people in Puerto Rico still don't have power. We cannot leave them behind to face even more destruction.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1528907145
"Hurricane Maria caused historically devastating damage to the island of Puerto Rico," the members of Congress wrote in their letter, which was also sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). "We are extremely concerned by the ongoing inability to obtain an updated, accurate death toll from Hurricane Maria, and the Trump administration's failure to provide any assistance or demand accountability in that process."
The lawmakers concluded their letter with a series of detailed questions aimed at identifying "how the federal government will address fatality count discrepancies and better execute disaster response and assistance to Puerto Ricans and other communities affected by hurricanes in the future":
a. How many bodies were retrieved, assessed, and processed by DMORT teams in the months following Hurricane Maria?
b. How did FEMA and HHS determine the number of DMORT personnel to dispatch to the island? When were they dispatched? How long did they remain there?
c. Did the Puerto Rico government use DMORT assistance in determining causes of death? If so, was that information incorporated into the official death toll?
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
As academic studies and news reports continue to show that Hurricane Maria killed far more people in Puerto Rico than government estimates suggest, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and nearly two dozen other members of Congress sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday denouncing the Trump administration's continued failure to provide an accurate death toll from the storm.
"It's already hurricane season and about 11,000 people in Puerto Rico still don't have power. We cannot leave them behind to face even more destruction."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
Highlighting the fact that a correct mortality count is "essential" for both "understanding the true severity of conditions on the ground" and calculating how much aid will be necessary for a just recovery, the lawmakers expressed alarm that "the Trump administration has never publicly expressed any concerns about the accuracy of the death count."
Aside from his boast last October that just 16 people had died from Hurricane Maria--an estimate that was slammed as a dramatic understatement at the time--President Donald Trump has been silent about the death toll from the storm, which he "conspicuously failed to mention" during a meeting at FEMA headquarters last week, the lawmakers note.
While the "official" death toll from Hurricane Maria stands at 64, a Harvard study published late last month concluded that the actual count could be more than 70 times higher. Additionally, as Sanders pointed out in a video posted to social media on Wednesday, thousands of Puerto Ricans are still without power eight months after the Category 4 storm slammed into the island.
\u201cIt's already hurricane season and about 11,000 people in Puerto Rico still don't have power. We cannot leave them behind to face even more destruction.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1528907145
"Hurricane Maria caused historically devastating damage to the island of Puerto Rico," the members of Congress wrote in their letter, which was also sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). "We are extremely concerned by the ongoing inability to obtain an updated, accurate death toll from Hurricane Maria, and the Trump administration's failure to provide any assistance or demand accountability in that process."
The lawmakers concluded their letter with a series of detailed questions aimed at identifying "how the federal government will address fatality count discrepancies and better execute disaster response and assistance to Puerto Ricans and other communities affected by hurricanes in the future":
a. How many bodies were retrieved, assessed, and processed by DMORT teams in the months following Hurricane Maria?
b. How did FEMA and HHS determine the number of DMORT personnel to dispatch to the island? When were they dispatched? How long did they remain there?
c. Did the Puerto Rico government use DMORT assistance in determining causes of death? If so, was that information incorporated into the official death toll?
As academic studies and news reports continue to show that Hurricane Maria killed far more people in Puerto Rico than government estimates suggest, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and nearly two dozen other members of Congress sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday denouncing the Trump administration's continued failure to provide an accurate death toll from the storm.
"It's already hurricane season and about 11,000 people in Puerto Rico still don't have power. We cannot leave them behind to face even more destruction."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
Highlighting the fact that a correct mortality count is "essential" for both "understanding the true severity of conditions on the ground" and calculating how much aid will be necessary for a just recovery, the lawmakers expressed alarm that "the Trump administration has never publicly expressed any concerns about the accuracy of the death count."
Aside from his boast last October that just 16 people had died from Hurricane Maria--an estimate that was slammed as a dramatic understatement at the time--President Donald Trump has been silent about the death toll from the storm, which he "conspicuously failed to mention" during a meeting at FEMA headquarters last week, the lawmakers note.
While the "official" death toll from Hurricane Maria stands at 64, a Harvard study published late last month concluded that the actual count could be more than 70 times higher. Additionally, as Sanders pointed out in a video posted to social media on Wednesday, thousands of Puerto Ricans are still without power eight months after the Category 4 storm slammed into the island.
\u201cIt's already hurricane season and about 11,000 people in Puerto Rico still don't have power. We cannot leave them behind to face even more destruction.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1528907145
"Hurricane Maria caused historically devastating damage to the island of Puerto Rico," the members of Congress wrote in their letter, which was also sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). "We are extremely concerned by the ongoing inability to obtain an updated, accurate death toll from Hurricane Maria, and the Trump administration's failure to provide any assistance or demand accountability in that process."
The lawmakers concluded their letter with a series of detailed questions aimed at identifying "how the federal government will address fatality count discrepancies and better execute disaster response and assistance to Puerto Ricans and other communities affected by hurricanes in the future":
a. How many bodies were retrieved, assessed, and processed by DMORT teams in the months following Hurricane Maria?
b. How did FEMA and HHS determine the number of DMORT personnel to dispatch to the island? When were they dispatched? How long did they remain there?
c. Did the Puerto Rico government use DMORT assistance in determining causes of death? If so, was that information incorporated into the official death toll?
