DeLauro Statement on Study Estimating Hurricane Maria Caused At Least 4,645 Deaths in Puerto Rico

NEW HAVEN, CT(May 29, 2018) – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding the new Harvard study estimating that Hurricane Maria and its aftermath caused at least 4,645 deaths across Puerto Rico. The official death count stands at 64.

"I am outraged and saddened that thousands of our fellow Americans perished in Puerto Rico because of Hurricane Maria's devastation, orders of magnitude more than official count according to new data released today. It is unacceptable that the official numbers are so far off. These are people's lives—daughters and sons, mothers and fathers—and their cause of death is crucial both for their families and for our federal government to assess its response to this catastrophe. Many of these fatalities were caused by people's inability to get proper medical care in a timely fashion, and perhaps could have been prevented if Puerto Rico was provided with the resources necessary in the immediate aftermath of the disaster."

"When I visited Puerto Rico in January, I witnessed firsthand the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, and the inadequate conditions residents were forced to endure. If Americans on the mainland had been hit by this type of natural disaster, there would not be a question about providing the resources needed to recover. History will make clear that the United States shamefully mishandled the recovery effort, failing to uphold our nation's moral obligation to our fellow Americans."

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