By SARAH LYNCH BALDWIN
CBS NEWS
August 2, 2018, 12:23 PM
... The findings took into account people who died from both the hurricane's immediate impact and its secondary effects during the months after it barreled into Puerto Rico in September.
"If we have a better idea of the damage that Hurricane Maria actually did, then maybe we can use that experience to inform and reshape protocols, policies and emergency management protocols," Alexis Raúl Santos, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, said in a news release on the findings.
The news release says this study is different from other estimates that used data from surveys or government agencies, "which may not be reliable." A Harvard University study released in May said the hurricane was likely responsible for more than 4,600 deaths, a figure that was based on results of a door-to-door survey of 3,299 randomly selected homes across the island.
The new study points out that the official death toll only counts people who have a "hurricane-related" cause of death on their death certificate, and does not account for "indirect deaths," such as people who died from infectious disease outbreaks, lack of access to medical care, or outages of water and electricity ...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-study-death-toll-from-hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-2018-08-02/