Climate Changed
Trump Defies Science With Rejection of Puerto Rico Death Toll
- Researchers counted effects of power outages, medical care
- Furor highlights difficulties in assessing blame to storms
A woman stands on her property about two weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on Oct. 5, 2017 in San Isidro, Puerto Rico.
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
President Donald Trump rejects the official death toll of 2,975 from last year’s devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico.
Yet the figure, which has been adopted by the island’s government, is one of several estimates from prestigious universities that have employed established scientific processes to come up with casualty counts in the thousands.