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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz has said that the death toll in the wake of Hurricane Maria is much higher than the officially reported deaths.

In an interview with CNN, Cruz said, “It appears, for whatever reason, that the death toll is much higher than what has been reported.” 

The official death toll is said to be 54 but the Mayor says that its likely to be closer to 500. 

Cruz added that there were 911 cremations in Puerto Rico last month, pointing out that it is almost double the normal number.

Cruz further noted in the interview, “What we do know for sure is that people are being catalogued as dying…natural deaths.”

Reports have noted that 911 people died due to natural causes last month after Hurricane Maria and none of the bodies were examined by a medical practitioner. 

Further, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety said that the deaths were categorised as natural deaths after reviewing records and not after being reviewed by a medical examiner.

According to reports, Democrats called the Department of Homeland Security to get a more accurate picture on the death toll. 

The senators wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, “We urge you to provide all necessary resources to confirm that storm-related deaths are being counted correctly.”

On the other hand, New York Post has reported that FEMA has provided only $121,000 to the people affected by Hurricane Maria. 

It is a measly amount when compared to the $2.8 billion paid as flood insurance to the victims of Hurricane Harvey and $178 million paid to those affected by Hurricane Irma.

Reports have also noted that the reason behind that is that most people in Puerto Rico do not have flood insurance. 

The National Flood Insurance Programme is not available in the island.

Electricity to arrive next summer

People in Puerto Rico have more dark days ahead with Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers predicting that it will be two to three more months before most Puerto Ricans get their power supply back. 

People in the U.S. territory have already gone six weeks without power after Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean island.

Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite said that the people living in the last electricity grid may have to wait till spring or summer before they get the power back. 

He said, “The last mile is going to take a long, long time… probably 62,000 power poles that have to be brought in from the United States, that have to be shipped here over water… and then you’re going to run 6,100 miles of cable.”

Semonite added, “We’re going to push like heck. I think the majority of people will hope to have their power up in January, maybe February. I would predict there’s some people on that last mile that are going to be close to spring or summer before they get those very, very last houses.”