Rep. Ruben Gallego on Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico Death Toll Study
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) issued the following statement regarding a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that estimates that at least 4,645 people died in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria. Rep. Gallego serves as the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs.
"The results of this study – and the fact that the actual death toll in Puerto Rico is nearly 70 times higher than the federal government is reporting – is shocking and horrifying.
"Make no mistake – these lives were lost in no small part due to the Trump administration's gross negligence. The Trump administration's failure to deliver timely and sufficient aid to United States citizens in Puerto Rico was an utterly careless decision with deadly consequences.
"The Trump administration must be held accountable for their abject failure to protect and assist our fellow Americans. Moving forward, all available resources should be provided to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to ensure that those living there have access to medical supplies, food, clean water and electricity, and no additional lives are put in jeopardy. Congress must also take immediate steps to ensure that the administration does not repeat these tragic errors as the 2018 hurricane season approaches."