Document Type
Report
Publication Date
5-2018
Abstract
On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico as a category 4 cyclone, with minimum sustained winds blowing at 145 mph, peaking at 155 mph as it made landfall. The northwest trajectory of the storm assured that the entire island would be affected by its effects. One month henceforth, the island’s authorities indicate that 49 people had died as a direct result of the hurricane. The Puerto Rican government figures indicated 64 deaths were directly related to the hurricane, even though journalistic accounts pointed to more than 1,000 deaths and a Harvard University Study estimated the count at 4,645.1 In addition, more than 80 percent of consumers lacked electric service and 20 percent lacked potable water.2 Six months after the storm, 15 percent still lacked electric service and 12 percent lacked potable water. Furthermore, preliminary estimates by the government of Puerto Rico indicate that approximately 70,000 residential properties were totally destroyed, with an additional 300,000 partially damaged residences. As of February 2018, 1.1 million households had applied for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA reports that it has approved more than 455,000 applications for individual assistance.3 The devastation caused by the hurricane, and the limited and insufficient response from government authorities at every level, has resulted, among other things, in a massive out flow of residents from the island, to destinations in the United States, including the state of Connecticut.
Included in
Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Emergency and Disaster Management Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons
