<P> In February 2018, CNN and Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism filed three lawsuits against the Government of Puerto Rico to obtain details on deaths in the months following Maria . Following a court ruling, the government released the withheld information . Statistical data showed an increase of 1,427 deaths in 2017 as compared to the preceding four years; however, the number attributable to Maria could not be determined . On August 28, the Government of Puerto Rico revised the official death toll to be 2,975 people, ranking Maria as one of the deadliest hurricanes in United States history . The official estimate is based on a study commissioned by the governor of Puerto Rico, where researchers at George Washington University developed statistical models showing the number of excess deaths for the time period between September 2017 and February 2018 to be between 2,658--3,290 (with a 95 percent confidence interval). Researchers attribute the discrepancy with the initially reported death count to "lack of awareness of appropriate death certification practices after a natural disaster" among physicians reporting deaths to vital statistic agencies . </P> <P> In the decade preceding Maria, Puerto Rico suffered from major financial decline and crippling debt from a combination of poor fiscal management and changes in federal tax policy . In early 2017, the territory filed for bankruptcy as its public debt reached $74 billion . A change in federal taxation policy prompted an exodus of lucrative business and reduced tax revenue; poverty rates reached 45 percent . Aging infrastructure across the island makes the electrical grid more susceptible to damage from storms; the median age of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) power plants is 44 years . Inadequate safety also plagues the company and local newspapers frequently describe poor maintenance and outdated controls . PREPA struggled with increasing debt, reaching $9 billion before the hurricanes prompting them to file for bankruptcy . Furthermore, the company reduced its staffing by 30 percent since 2012 . Alongside being outdated, the electrical infrastructure was built largely above ground and exposed to the direct effects of hurricanes . </P> <P> The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season produced multiple powerful and long - lived tropical cyclones . August and September proved to be especially active, featuring three catastrophic hurricanes: Harvey, Irma, and Maria . Timothy Gallaudet, acting director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, described it as "a season that wouldn't quit". In early September, Irma devastated the Leeward Islands as a Category 5 hurricane and tracked close to Puerto Rico . Although the center remained well offshore, tropical storm - force winds affected the territory and caused substantial damage . The storm weakened the already embattled power grid, and left it susceptible to complete failure . While recovery efforts remained underway in Texas and Florida for Harvey and Irma, respectively, Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20 as a high - end Category 4 hurricane . The hurricane inflicted catastrophic damage island - wide, decimating the power grid, crippling road infrastructure, and leaving the majority of people without access to clean water . </P> <P> The Federal Emergency Management Agency had little time to prepare and respond, and had shipped out many of the supplies it had stored on Puerto Rico to assist recovery from Irma in the US Virgin Islands . The agency admitted logistical failures, personnel shortages, and communication troubles with the local government vastly hampered their ability to assist in recovery . Inland communities remained isolated for days after the storm struck, leaving the territory's poor and elderly especially vulnerable . Injured persons or those in need of regular medical care (such as dialysis) were unable to access emergency services for prolonged periods of time . Food and water shortages exacerbated the risk of death, especially in inland communities . </P>

What is the official death toll from hurricane maria