Four years since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rick/US Virgin Islands

[Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com>]

Wednesday, September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico with 
sustained winds of 155 mph. An estimated 2,975 people died in PR, 3 in 
USVI, and 81 the other parts of the carribean. It caused over $90 billion 
in property damage.

The Puerto Rico power grid was effectively destroyed by the hurricane, 
leaving millions without electricity. It still has not been fully 
restored, with rolling blackouts still occuring. Over 95% of the islands 
had no cell service, and other telecommunications service was limited 
mostly to San Juan metro area.  Only a handful of radio stations were 
still operating.

Only about $18 billion of the $63 billion allocated by Congress for 
disaster relief and recovery has actually been disbursed. Most of the 
remaining funds are not expected to be disbursed until after fiscal year 
2025.