Hurricane Maria (2017)
Hurricane Maria was a catastrophic Atlantic hurricane that formed on September 12, 2017, and rapidly intensified, reaching category 5 status by September 19. The storm struck the island of Dominica with winds of 167 mph, causing widespread destruction, including the near-total devastation of its homes and infrastructure. As it moved towards Puerto Rico, Maria maintained powerful winds of 155 mph upon landfall on September 20, leading to catastrophic damage across the island. The hurricane left over three million residents without power and caused severe flooding, resulting in extensive landslides and significant agricultural loss. The estimated damage from Hurricane Maria exceeded $90 billion, marking it as one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. The official death toll from the storm was initially reported at 64 in Puerto Rico; however, subsequent studies estimated the number to be around 2,975 due to indirect effects of the hurricane. The U.S. government's response to the disaster faced criticism for its perceived inadequacy and slow delivery of aid, particularly in comparison to responses for previous hurricanes that struck the mainland. Maria's impact highlighted vulnerabilities in infrastructure and emergency preparedness, with long-lasting effects felt across affected regions.
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Hurricane Maria (2017)
Date: September 16–30, 2017
Place: Dominica, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean islands
Result: Hurricane Maria was one of the costliest hurricanes in US history. It caused more than $90 billion in damage and was estimated to have killed 2,975 people in Puerto Rico. At least thirty-one people died on Dominica and other islands.
Overview
Hurricane Maria was a powerful storm in the Atlantic Ocean that began to form on September 12, 2017, as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa. A tropical wave is an unsettled area of low pressure that develops from a line of thunderstorms over land. As the wave began to move out over the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, it strengthened and eventually became a tropical storm, which has wind speeds greater than 39 miles per hour (63 kilometers per hour). The National Weather Service officially classified the storm as Tropical Storm Maria on September 16. Within twenty-four hours, the rapidly intensifying Maria was classified as a hurricane, which means it had wind speeds of more than 74 mph (119 km/h).
Fueled by the warm Atlantic, Maria became a major hurricane on September 18 and a day later grew to a powerful category 5 hurricane—the highest classification issued by the National Weather Service. Such a storm has sustained winds of 157 mph (253 km/h) or higher and is capable of causing catastrophic damage. Maria hit the small island of Dominica on September 19 with winds speeds of about 167 mph (267 km/h). The storm severely damaged almost every home on Dominica and destroyed the island’s power grid, communications systems, and many of its roads. Maria left at least thirty-one people dead and thirty-four others still missing as of February 2019.
Maria weakened slightly as it crossed Dominica and headed northwestward toward the US territory of Puerto Rico. However, back over open water, it briefly regained category 5 status with sustained winds of 173 mph (278 km/h). As it neared Puerto Rico, its outer bands struck the US Virgin Islands, causing wind and flood damage and killing several people. Maria grew larger but weakened slightly, still packing winds of 155 mph (249 km/h) as it made landfall on Puerto Rico on September 20. Maria’s central eye took about eight hours to cross over Puerto Rico; however, the storm impacted the island for a considerably longer period of time.
Maria battered the island with such force that residents recalled the wind causing the ground to shake. Most of the buildings on the island were damaged. Any building without a concrete roof had its roof blown off or severely damaged. Maria completely wiped out Puerto Rico’s electrical infrastructure, leaving more than three million people without power. The rain dumped by the hurricane topped all-time record levels in many areas with some locations seeing as much as 38 inches (97 centimeters). The rain caused major flooding that spawned hundreds of landslides, which destroyed homes, bridges, and roads across the island.
After passing over Puerto Rico, Maria weakened to a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 109 mph (175 km/h). However, the storm soon gained strength again as its winds impacted the Dominican Republic. During the next few days, Maria turned north into the open Atlantic and again began to weaken. By September 27, the storm was about 150 miles (241 kilometers) off the coast of North Carolina and still packing hurricane-force winds of 75 mph (121 km/h). Although Maria did not strike the US mainland, rough surf caused by the storm was blamed for four drowning deaths on the East Coast. Maria weakened to a tropical storm on September 28 and was no longer a tropical system by September 30.
Impact
In terms of damage, Maria was the most devastating hurricane to ever strike Puerto Rico. Virtually all of the island’s 3.4 million residents were without power, communications, and municipal water supplies. An estimated 80 percent of Puerto Rico’s utility poles and electrical transmission lines were destroyed, and Internet, cell phone, and landline services were disrupted. About half of the island’s residents were still without power at the end of 2017; full service was not restored to the entire island until August 2018. Much of Puerto Rico’s trees and vegetation were either damaged or defoliated, and an estimated 80 percent of the island’s crops were destroyed. The total damage from Hurricane Maria exceeded $90 billion, making it the third costliest natural disaster in US history. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 both caused $125 billion in damage.
For months after the storm, the official death toll in Puerto Rico stood at only sixty-four, a figure that was obviously too low considering the immense damage to the island. Officials had only counted direct deaths from the storm—deaths caused by drowning, collapsed houses, flying debris, etc. In August 2018, a study from George Washington University examined both the immediate and long-term impacts of Maria and estimated a new death toll at 2,975. This number accounts for deaths that may have occurred as a result of injured or chronically ill people dying later because they did not receive adequate care in time. At least thirty-one people died on Dominica and more than fifteen people were killed by the effects of the storm in the US Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the US mainland.
In the wake of Maria, the administration of US President Donald Trump was heavily criticized for its handling of the relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Many local officials on the island believed the initial federal response was too slow and much-needed aid and supplies were delayed and late to arrive. Some also believed that the relief response to hurricanes Irma and Harvey from earlier in 2017 was much quicker because those storms struck the US mainland.
Bibliography
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