This year’s anniversary comes as Hurricane Fiona devastates the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic

Washington (September 20, 2022) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined his colleagues led by Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Representative Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) in introducing a bicameral resolution marking the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s destruction in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This year’s anniversary comes as Category 1 Hurricane Fiona made landfall in the Caribbean, devastating Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic where widespread flooding and infrastructure damage has been already reported. There are currently hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans without power and water service, in addition to residents who have lost their homes as a result of the storm.

Hurricane Maria is the second deadliest storm in United States history, with the official death toll standing at 2,975 victims, while some academic experts estimate the toll to be as high as 4,645. It is also the third most costly tropical cyclone in our country’s history, with damages estimated to have cost more than $98 billion. This storm resulted in the complete collapse of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid and triggered physical and mental health, migration, housing and infrastructure crises that the island has continued to face in the years since the storm. The impact of this unprecedented natural tragedy was further exacerbated by the human-made tragedy of the Trump’s Administration response following Hurricane Maria.