Hurricane Maria (2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season)

Hurricane Maria was a deadly, historic, and politically charged Category 5 hurricane that struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, as the strongest storm to hit the island in nearly a century. It remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. territory in the 21st century, with an official death toll of 2,975 (though some studies estimate up to 4,600+). Maria caused $91.6 billion in damage — the third-costliest U.S. hurricane on record — and triggered a year-long humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico due to near-total infrastructure collapse.

Timeline & Path

Date (2017)	Event
Sep 16	Forms east of Lesser Antilles
Sep 18	Rapidly intensifies to Category 5 (175 mph, 908 mbar)
Sep 19	Strikes Dominica as Cat 5 — devastates 98% of structures
Sep 20	Landfall in Puerto Rico (Yabucoa) at 6:15 a.m. AST — Cat 4 (155 mph)
Sep 21	Emerges into Atlantic, brushes Dominican Republic
Sep 25	Weakens to tropical storm
Sep 30	Dissipates off U.S. East Coast

Path Summary: Lesser Antilles → Dominica → Puerto Rico → Dominican Republic → open Atlantic.

Intensity & Records

Metric	Value	Record
Peak Winds	175 mph	Tied for 9th-strongest Atlantic landfall
Lowest Pressure	908 mbar	6th-lowest in Atlantic history
Rapid Intensification	55 mph gain in 24 hrs	Among fastest on record
Rainfall (PR)	37.9 inches (Villalba)	Puerto Rico all-time record
Storm Surge	8–12 ft (coastal PR)	Widespread coastal flooding

Maria was the first Category 5 to hit Dominica and the strongest to hit Puerto Rico since 1928 (San Felipe Segundo).

Devastation by RegionPuerto Rico – Epicenter of Crisis

100% of power grid destroyed — longest blackout in U.S. history (11+ months for full restoration).
95% of cell towers down — communication blackout for weeks.
80,000+ homes destroyed, 300,000+ damaged.
Entire island lost running water — 3.4 million people without potable water for months.
Landslides: ~70,000 across mountainous interior — some roads impassable for over a year.
Agriculture wiped out: 80% of crop value lost ($780M) — coffee, plantains, bananas decimated.

San Juan: Flooding up to 6 ft in streets; hospitals ran on generators for months.
Interior towns (e.g., Utuado, Jayuya): Isolated for weeks — residents used rivers for drinking water.

Dominica – “Flattened in Hours”

98% of buildings damaged or destroyed.
Entire island defoliated — satellite images showed brown landscape (no green left).
31 dead, 37 missing.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit: “We have been punched in the face by climate change.”

U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. Thomas)

85% of structures damaged.
Hospitals evacuated; curfews for weeks.
$1.2 billion in damage.

Dominican Republic

Indirect hit: 10+ inches of rain, flooding, 3 deaths.

Death Toll & Controversy

Source	Death Toll	Notes
Official (PR Govt, 2018)	2,975	GWU study: excess deaths from Sep 2017–Feb 2018
Harvard Study (2018)	4,645 (95% CI: 793–8,498)	Survey-based estimate
Initial Trump Admin	16, then 64	Based on direct deaths only

Trump’s Paper Towel Visit (Oct 3, 2017): Infamous moment — tossed rolls to crowd in San Juan; claimed response was “A+” despite widespread suffering.

Human Toll & Survivor Stories

Hospital crisis: Diesel shortages → patients died on ventilators; dialysis patients went days without treatment.
Mental health: Suicide rates doubled in 2018; PTSD widespread.
Mass exodus: 130,000+ Puerto Ricans left for U.S. mainland in 2017–2018.

Carmen Yulín Cruz (San Juan Mayor): “We are dying here” — became global symbol of federal neglect.

Federal Response Failures

Issue	Details
FEMA	Only 10% of requested aid delivered in first month
Power Restoration	PREPA hired Whitefish Energy (2-person Montana firm) → $300M contract canceled amid scandal
Shipping	Jones Act waived too late (Sep 28) — delayed aid
Tarps	60,000 blue tarps distributed — many homes still had them 2+ years later
Trump Tweets	Called PR leaders “politically motivated ingrates”

Congressional Report (2020): Response was “inadequate and delayed” due to bureaucracy and underestimation.

Recovery (2017 → 2025)

Metric	Status (as of 2025)
Power Grid	99% restored; PR100 plan for 100% renewable by 2050
Homes	~30,000 still using blue tarps (2023); rebuilding slow
Hospitals	60% at full capacity; many closed permanently
Economy	GDP contraction of 8% post-Maria; tourism down 20% long-term
Debt	PREPA bankruptcy (2022); $9B debt restructured

Resilience gains: Microgrids, solar rooftops, elevated homes now common.

Comparison: Maria vs. Dorian vs. Melissa

Feature	Maria (2017)	Dorian (2019)	Melissa (2025)
Peak Winds	175 mph	185 mph	185 mph
Landfall Strength	Cat 4 (PR)	Cat 5 (Bahamas)	Cat 5 (Jamaica)
Duration on Land	8 hrs (PR)	40 hrs (Bahamas)	6 hrs (Jamaica)
Death Toll	2,975+	74+	49+
Damage	$91.6B	$3.4B	$8B+
Worst Impact	Puerto Rico (infrastructure collapse)	Bahamas (total destruction)	Jamaica (rapid devastation)
Federal Response	Criticized as slow/insufficient	Swift (Bahamas not U.S.)	Ongoing (U.S. shutdown complicates)

Maria = systemic failure + long-term blackout
Dorian = slow-motion obliteration
Melissa = explosive, fast-moving strike

Legacy

Climate justice icon: Maria fueled global calls for loss and damage funds at COP.
Puerto Rico’s diaspora: Stronger political voice in U.S. (e.g., Florida voting bloc).
Infrastructure reform: FEMA now pre-positions aid; PR pushes decentralized energy.
Cultural impact: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Almost Like Praying” raised $20M+.

Resources

NHC Report: noaa.gov
GWU Death Study: prstudy.publichealth.gwu.edu
Documentary: Landfall (2020) — Puerto Rican filmmakers
Book: Aftershocks of Disaster (ed. Yarimar Bonilla, 2019)

Hurricane Maria (2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season)