- Home
- World
- News
- More Than 130 US Lawmakers Urge Trump to Acknowledge Maria Death Toll, Apologize - Letter
More Than 130 US Lawmakers Urge Trump To Acknowledge Maria Death Toll, Apologize - Letter
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published September 19, 2018 | 11:12 PM
More than 130 US lawmakers are calling on President Donald Trump to acknowledge the official death toll from Hurricane Maria and apologize for his recent comments about the fatalities, a letter published on Wednesday by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Nydia Velazquez showed.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2018) More than 130 US lawmakers are calling on President Donald Trump to acknowledge the official death toll from Hurricane Maria and apologize for his recent comments about the fatalities, a letter published on Wednesday by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Nydia Velazquez showed.
"We write to denounce your recent statements about the fatalities in Puerto Rico from Hurricanes Irma and Maria and their aftermath. These comments were grossly inaccurate, callous, embarrassing and beneath the dignity of the Office of the President of the United States. We call on you to immediately apologize and set the record straight by publicly acknowledging the official death toll," the letter to Trump said.
The lawmakers said Trump insulted the families who are mourning their loved ones when he asserted that the official death toll of 2,975 was incorrect, and inflated by Democrats to make him look bad.
In addition to issuing an apology, Trump should also ensure that his administration improves its efforts to aid in Puerto Rico's recovery, the letter added.
On Thursday, Trump said in a Twitter post that when he visited Puerto Rico, somewhere between six and 18 deaths had been reported, and that number did not increase until long after the storm passed, adding "this was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics."
An independent study conducted by the George Washington University Milken Institute school of Public Health and released in August concluded that Hurricane Maria caused the deaths of 2,975 people in Puerto Rico between September 2017 and February 2018.
The report said a lack of communication, established guidelines, and training for physicians on how to certify deaths in disasters resulted in only 64 deaths originally being categorized as hurricane-related.
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm on September 20, causing extensive damage to the island's infrastructure and electrical grid.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Robinson, bowlers help New Zealand go 2-1 up against Pakistan
Shahzeb Chachar to hold khuli kachehri on April 26
Heatwave amid Israel's aggression in Gaza brings new misery, disease risk
Tourism must change, mayor says as Venice launches entry fee
Court adjourns Judicial Complex attack case till May 17
Nasreen Noori’s book ‘Popatan Jahra Khwab’ launched
Wafaqi Mohtasib inspection team visits Excise and taxation office
AJLAC announces 5th Conference titled ‘People’s Mandate: Safeguarding Civil ..
Pak-US officials engage to enhance trade, investment ties
IBCC to promote educational excellence, expand regional presence
Pakistani 'Blue Helmets' serving UN Peacekeeping Mission in DR Congo set to leav ..
Putin says plans to visit China in May
More Stories From World
-
Bagnaia and Spanish rivals chase victory at Jerez
19 minutes ago -
Russian, Ukrainian strikes kill at least 10 in frontline regions
29 minutes ago -
Heatwave amid Israel's aggression in Gaza brings new misery, disease risk
43 minutes ago -
Tourism must change, mayor says as Venice launches entry fee
43 minutes ago -
Pakistani 'Blue Helmets' serving UN Peacekeeping Mission in DR Congo set to leave after 20 years of ..
1 hour ago -
Putin says plans to visit China in May
1 hour ago
-
US reinstates open internet rules rescinded under Trump
1 hour ago -
Honda announces US$11 bn EV battery and vehicle plant in Canada
2 hours ago -
Portugal marks 50 years of democracy with far right on the rise
2 hours ago -
Oman, UAE deluge 'most likely' linked to climate change: scientists
3 hours ago -
BHP launches $38.8 billion takeover bid for rival Anglo American
3 hours ago -
Saudi oil giant Aramco agrees major FIFA sponsorship deal
3 hours ago