Study shows death toll from Hurricane Maria 70 times higher than official number

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Harvard University said Puerto Rico's death toll from Hurricane Maria is 70 times higher than the official number.

Researchers there believe 4,500 more people died as a result of the storm the storm than what was reported and that many of the deaths were miscategorized.

Many of the evacuees who came to Central Florida know at least one person who died in the storm and some always thought the death toll was off.

They said underestimating the real number hurts survivors, because it gives the impression the storm wasn't as bad as it seems.

Harvard University researchers said the death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria could be 4,645, which is 70 times the original estimate.

That estimated number is based on Harvard's study of experiences in randomly selected households.

Researchers concluded the mortality rate was about 62 percent higher in the three months following the storm than the same time frame in the previous year.

Evacuee Marnie Ferrer knows at least two people who died; one had a heart attack during the storm and the other had a prior illness, but she said getting care for that illness was next to impossible after the storm. 
 
"They (were) supposed to go to the ER room and they died," Ferrer said.

She's not sure if either are included in the official count, but said they should be.

For many survivors, whether someone had a tree fall on them, their medical equipment failed without power, or they committed suicide after losing everything and having no hope, they see it all as death caused by the storm.

Cox Media Group