For the last year, the death toll in Puerto Rico was set at 18 as a result of Hurricane Maria. Suddenly, about two weeks ago, the number was raised to more than 3000 deaths. What accounts for the big change?
It's worth going back to see how this happened. First of all, the figures come from the government of Puerto Rico. When the storm went through the island, the number of people who were injured or killed by the storm was compiled, and the government said it was 18. That figure followed the standard method of compiling numbers of dead and injured from an event like a storm.
Then the Puerto Rican government changed to a different methodology. Here's what they did: they looked at the number of people who died on the island during the year prior to Hurricane Maria and compared it to the number of people on Puerto Rico who died during the year following Hurricane Maria. To the extent the number was higher the year after the storm, they attributed every death to Hurricane Maria. In other words, if a woman was being treated for breast cancer for a year prior to the hurricane and then died three months after the hurricane, her death was attributed to that storm. If five people died in a major car accident six months after the hurricane, the government attributed their deaths to the storm. That's crazy. You can't just count people dying and say that they are all due to Hurricane Maria. There has to be some sort of causal connection.
But it's even worse. In the year prior to the hurricane, there was a significant decline in the death rate on the island according to government statistics. In other words, in the year prior to the hurricane, there was an unusually low number of people who died. After the hurricane, that death rate just went back to the prior levels. Most likely, that death rate would have returned to normal levels whether or not there was a hurricane.
President Trump tweeted today that he disputes the new death figures from the storm. In response, he has been called all sorts of names. The truth, however, is that Trump is correct. The government of the island twisted the numbers of dead in an effort to get more aid from the federal government. The media would never criticize the methodology, because it never questions "victims". On top of that, it gives the media another chance to slam Trump. It's a two-fer.
Sadly, the Dems and the Puerto Rican government have decided to politicize the hurricane and its aftermath.
It's worth going back to see how this happened. First of all, the figures come from the government of Puerto Rico. When the storm went through the island, the number of people who were injured or killed by the storm was compiled, and the government said it was 18. That figure followed the standard method of compiling numbers of dead and injured from an event like a storm.
Then the Puerto Rican government changed to a different methodology. Here's what they did: they looked at the number of people who died on the island during the year prior to Hurricane Maria and compared it to the number of people on Puerto Rico who died during the year following Hurricane Maria. To the extent the number was higher the year after the storm, they attributed every death to Hurricane Maria. In other words, if a woman was being treated for breast cancer for a year prior to the hurricane and then died three months after the hurricane, her death was attributed to that storm. If five people died in a major car accident six months after the hurricane, the government attributed their deaths to the storm. That's crazy. You can't just count people dying and say that they are all due to Hurricane Maria. There has to be some sort of causal connection.
But it's even worse. In the year prior to the hurricane, there was a significant decline in the death rate on the island according to government statistics. In other words, in the year prior to the hurricane, there was an unusually low number of people who died. After the hurricane, that death rate just went back to the prior levels. Most likely, that death rate would have returned to normal levels whether or not there was a hurricane.
President Trump tweeted today that he disputes the new death figures from the storm. In response, he has been called all sorts of names. The truth, however, is that Trump is correct. The government of the island twisted the numbers of dead in an effort to get more aid from the federal government. The media would never criticize the methodology, because it never questions "victims". On top of that, it gives the media another chance to slam Trump. It's a two-fer.
Sadly, the Dems and the Puerto Rican government have decided to politicize the hurricane and its aftermath.
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