A Blind Eye towards Puerto Rica

A study commissioned by the Puerto Rican government has found that an estimated 2,975 people died after Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. territory last year, corroborating previous analyses that have long challenged the official death toll of 64 people. Many people died as a result of poor healthcare provision and a lack of electricity and clean water. Repeated power outages also led to an increased number of deaths from diabetes and sepsis. The study also said that those from poorer backgrounds in Puerto Rico were 45% more likely to have been killed in the aftermath of the hurricane.

Rep. Nydia Velázquez, said in a statement, "Once again, we have yet more mounting evidence about the enormity of the tragedy that befell Puerto Rico last year. Notably, this study also confirms that lower income communities disproportionately suffered the greatest loss of life," Velázquez added, emphasizing that the "disastrously inadequate" response from the U.S. government "failed the people of Puerto Rico and we can never allow such an inexcusable moral lapse to occur again."

“A lesson from this is that efforts for assistance and recovery need to focus as much as possible on lower-income areas, on people who are older, who are more vulnerable,” said Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken institute.

Hurricane Maria - the most powerful storm to hit the region in nearly 90 years -  with its 150 mph (241 kmh) winds caused around $90bn worth of damage and left households for, on average, 84 days without electricity; 64 days without water and 41 days without cellular telephone coverage.

Nearly a year on from the hurricane, Puerto Ricans are still struggling and more than 300,00 people have fled the island for the mainland.