Another death puts estimated Fiona toll at 24, with 11 confirmed
By The Star Staff
According to the Health Department’s Hurricane Fiona surveillance portal, an additional death associated with the passage of Hurricane Fiona has been detected.
As reported on the portal, the death of a 65-year-old man brought the death toll to 24.
So far, 15 men and nine women have lost their lives in circumstances thought to be connected with the storm, 13 of which are under investigation and 11 of which have been confirmed. One of those confirmed deaths was classified as direct, and the other 10 indirect.
Of the 24 deaths, 17 correspond to ages 65 years and older, four are between 55 and 64 years, and three are from 45 to 54 years.
According to the Department of Health and the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a direct death is a death directly attributable to the forces of the disaster or by the direct consequences of those forces, such as structural collapse, flying debris or exposure to radiation or chemicals.
An indirect death, meanwhile, corresponds to the unsafe or unsanitary conditions that are present during any phase of a disaster.