Special Report

Remembering Maria: How Puerto Rico's Worst Hurricane Compares to America's Most Destructive Weather Disasters

Thomas C. Frohlich

Published: September 18, 2018 7:38 pm

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 5:42 pm

The 2018 hurricane season has so far had 10 named storms, five of which have been hurricanes. While far from over, this season will likely be less severe than 2017’s record-breaking set of hurricanes.

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in particular led to thousands of deaths and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, where one year later the storm’s devastation still lingers. With less resilient infrastructure in a storm-prone region, Maria hit Puerto Rico especially hard, destroying roads, interrupting the water supply, electricity, telecommunications networks, and access to medical care.

On average, households went 84 days without electricity, 68 days without water, and 41 days without cellular telephone coverage after the hurricane.

All told, Maria caused an estimated $90 billion in damages, making it after adjusting to inflation the third most destructive storm on record in the United States.

Hurricane Maria formed in mid-Sept. 2017 off the coast of West Africa. Its intensity rose as it moved westward over the Atlantic. By the time it struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 — just two weeks after the territory had sustained damage from Hurricane Irma — it was close to a category 5 storm.

In remembrance of Maria’s devastation, 24/7 Wall St. compared the storm’s strength, death toll, and damage to 20 of the most costly hurricanes in U.S. history. We obtained the location, month and year of each storm’s landfall from the National Weather Service. In some instances, a hurricane had multiple landfall events. In such cases, we selected either the first landfall, or the landfall during the storm’s peak strength.

Few storms can claim such perfectly unfortunate conditions as Maria. The hurricane made landfall at near the peak of the storm’s strength, which is unusual compared with other tropical cyclones; and Puerto Rico was at that time reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Before devastating the Caribbean, Irma left 1 million people in Puerto Rico without power.

Click here to see how Puerto Rico’s Worst Hurricane Compares to the Most Devastating Hurricanes in American History.

Most Destructive Hurricanes in U.S. History:

Source: Mark Wilson / Getty Images

1. Katrina
> Landfall: Florida, Aug. 2005
> Estimated deaths: 1,200
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $160 billion
> Max sustained wind: 114 mph

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Source: Karl Spencer / Getty Images

2. Harvey
> Landfall: San Jose Island, Texas, Sept. 2017
> Estimated deaths: 68
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $125 billion
> Max sustained wind: 115 mph

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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

3. Maria
> Landfall: Puerto Rico, Sept. 2017
> Estimated deaths: 2,975
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $90 billion
> Max sustained wind: 135 mph

Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images

4. Sandy
> Landfall: Near Kingston, Jamaica, Oct. 2012
> Estimated deaths: 147
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $70.2 billion
> Max sustained wind: Approx. 50 mph

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Source: Thinkstock

5. Irma
> Landfall: Barbuda, Sept. 2017
> Estimated deaths: 171
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $50.0 Billion
> Max sustained wind: 155 mph

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

6. Andrew
> Landfall: Florida, Aug. 1992
> Estimated deaths: 26
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $47.8 billion
> Max sustained wind: 142 mph

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Source: JodiJacobson / Getty Images

7. Ike
> Landfall: Northeast coast of Cuba, Sept. 2008
> Estimated deaths: 76
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $34.8 billion
> Max sustained wind: 145 mph

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

8. Ivan
> Landfall: West of Gulf Shores, Alabama, Sept. 2004
> Estimated deaths: 92
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $27.1 billion
> Max sustained wind: 120 mph

Source: Richard Patterson / Getty Images

9. Wilma
> Landfall: Cozumel, Mexico, Oct. 2005
> Estimated deaths: 22
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $24.3 billion
> Max sustained wind: 185 mph

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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

10. Rita
> Landfall: East of Texas-Louisiana border, Sept. 2005
> Estimated deaths: 7
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $23.7 billion
> Max sustained wind: 180 mph

Source: david-hilgart / Flickr

11. Charley
> Landfall: Florida, Aug. 2004
> Estimated deaths: 15
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $21.1 billion
> Max sustained wind: 145 mph

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Source: Mark Wilson / Getty Images

12. Irene
> Landfall: Ackins / Crooked Islands, Bahamas, August 2011
> Estimated deaths: 48
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $15.0 billion
> Max sustained wind: 100 mph

Source: Gary Williams / Getty Images

13. Hugo
> Landfall: North of Charleston, South Carolina, Sept. 1989
> Estimated deaths: 50
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $14.1 billion
> Max sustained wind: 120 mph

Source: 24736216@N07 / Flickr

14. Frances
> Landfall: Near Stuart, Florida, Sept. 2004
> Estimated deaths: 8
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $12.9 billion
> Max sustained wind: 105 mph

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Source: keyslibraries / Flickr

15. Agnes
> Landfall: Panhandle coast, Florida, June 1972
> Estimated deaths: 129
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $12.5 billion
> Max sustained wind: 85 mph

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

16. Allison
> Landfall: Southwest of Galveston, Texas in June 2001
> Estimated deaths: 41
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $11.8 billion
> Max sustained wind: 55 mph

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Source: keyslibraries / Flickr

17. Betsy
> Landfall: New Orleans, Louisiana, September 1965
> Estimated deaths: 80
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $11.2 billion
> Max sustained wind: 155 mph

Source: Ryan Johnson (City of Charleston) / Wikimedia Commons

18. Matthew
> Landfall: Les Anglais, Haiti, October 2016
> Estimated deaths: 585
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $10.3 billion
> Max sustained wind: 130 mph

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

19. Jeanne
> Landfall: Dominican Republic, Sept. 2004
> Estimated deaths: 6
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $9.9 billion
> Max sustained wind: 120 mph

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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

20. Camille
> Landfall: Mississippi coast, Aug. 1969
> Estimated deaths: 256
> Estimated property damage (inflation-adjusted): $9.8 billion
> Max sustained wind: 120 mph