Puerto Rico’s Battered Health System Now Even More Vulnerable In The Face Of Future Storms
It's taken a long time for Puerto Rico's health system to recover from Hurricane Maria, and even though facilities are coming back on line and emergency plans have been made, there are new weaknesses that could be critically damaging if the island is hit with another storm. Meanwhile, why is it so hard to count casualties after a disaster?
Modern Healthcare:
Puerto Rico's Slow Hurricane Recovery Leaves Health System Exposed
Roughly a year since Hurricane Maria ripped across Puerto Rico, the island's healthcare infrastructure appears to still be years away from recovery. The storm caused one of the longest power outages in recorded history, displaced thousands of people and caused enough damage that some hospitals remain close to the condition they were in weeks after Maria hit. (Johnson, 9/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
Why Counting Casualties After A Hurricane Is So Hard
Last week, Puerto Rico raised the official death toll of Hurricane Maria to 2,975, making it the deadliest storm in at least 50 years. But that number may also make history of a different sort—if, as expected, it includes a record number of indirect deaths. “At the moment, the largest we have is Katrina with more than 500 indirect deaths,” said Ed Rappaport, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center who tracks storm-related fatalities. “I’d be surprised if that number was not exceeded greatly.” (McGinty, 9/7)
