FEMA head says hurricane death toll numbers are ‘all over the place’

WASHINGTON >> Embattled FEMA administrator William “Brock” Long said Sunday that the figures for how many people died as a result of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year are “all over the place,” in remarks that echoed President Donald Trump’s efforts to cast doubt on a George Washington University study finding there were nearly 3,000 excess deaths on the island in the months after the storm.

“It’s hard to tell what’s accurate and what’s not,” Long said in an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” He made similar remarks in appearances on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” and CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

Puerto Rican authorities have accepted the results of the university’s study.

Long’s television appearances were supposed to focus on the administration’s response efforts as Hurricane Florence tears through the Carolinas. Yet that message was overshadowed by questions surrounding Long’s future at FEMA, now in jeopardy due to an internal investigation of his alleged misuse of government resources, and the uproar caused by Trump’s response to the death toll in Puerto Rico.

Trump prompted widespread anger last week by dismissing the study’s results, which estimated there were 2,975 more deaths than normal during the six months after Maria, and suggesting the research was manipulated by Democrats to “make me look as bad as possible.”

The White House, meanwhile, has discussed replacing Long, whose use of government vehicles for personal travel between Washington and his home in North Carolina prompted the investigation, but officials have elected to let the probe finish before making a decision.