Death Toll for Puerto Rico Goes Up, Way Up!

When the original death toll (64) for Hurricane Maria's impact to Puerto Rico was announced, I thought that it seemed way too low for the level of devastation we observed on television. However it stood as the official total until very recently. See Puerto Rican Governor Raises Official Hurricane Maria Death Toll From 64 To Nearly 3,000.

This issue with the "body count" has little to do with FEMA and everything to do with the competencies of the Puerto Rican authorities and their pre-disaster preparations. 

Standards, training and competencies are all being called into question. It is events and reports like the above that calls into question our ability as a nation to handle multiple disasters simultaneously, and in a competent and efficient manner. 

Looking at the United States from afar, I think some of the luster may have worn off our shinning armor of emergency management.