After the devastating category four hurricane Maria, the official death toll estimated by the Puerto Rican authorities was sixty-four. Everyone in the island expected the death toll to be much higher given how massive the devastation was but most accepted that number. However, in May 2019, a Harvard study regarding the official death toll after Hurricane Maria estimated that the actual number of deaths should be 4,645; that is more than 70 times higher than the government’s official count. The study wasn’t based on death records, unlike how the Puerto Rico government counted the deaths; the new estimated number was based on the results of a survey that took into account the deathly consequences of shuttered hospitals and interrupted healthcare.
Subsequently after the Harvard University study was released many Puerto Ricans were outraged by the large death toll, feeling betrayed by their own government. On June 1, a group of citizens led by writer Nelson Rivera, Yara Laciaga and Professor Rafael Acevedo demanded accountability and justice for the dead, as reported by independent journalist Laura Candelas. The protest took place in front of the Capitol of Puerto Rico and requested that the Puerto Rico citizen to bring 4,645 pair of shoes to the Puerto Rican Capitol to symbolize each lost live. Along with the shoes, people brought banners, poems, candles, pictures of deceased and expressions of solidarity. A lot of people brought their own shoes but many brought the shoes of their deceased family members to honor them and show how their lives were tragically cut short. Citizens gathered to request justice for the deceased, but also to protest the irresponsibility of the government in the handling of the death toll.
Despite the new information, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, maintained the official death toll at 64 deceased, stubbornly ignoring the 4,645 estimated deaths as concluded by the Harvard University study. The Administration of Ricardo Rosselló eventually reacted to the study; it welcomed the results, but yet, in spite of that, they commissioned another study to The School of Public Health of George Washington University.
After much anticipation, the study from George Washington University showed that Hurricane Maria resulted in 2,975 deaths, which is now the official death toll. The study is established by mortality data that recognizes deaths from six months after the storm. As a preventive measure for future disasters, Ricardo Rosselló, announced that he signed an order to create a commission that would receive recommendations on how to improve responses towards disasters. The governor also added that he would entrust The School of Architecture of Puerto Rico with the design for a memorial that will pay reverence to those who died during the catastrophe.
The new and now official estimate makes hurricane Maria the second deadliest hurricane in US history. The people of Puerto Rico are still angry by this shifting death toll and the way the governor handled this situation from the beginning. However, they also look forward to finding improved ways of facing such devastating events while never forgetting all of those who lost their lives.