Economic Losses Mount for US as More Than $85B Lost to Hurricane Maria

Hurricane Maria has left in its wake, destruction, sorrow, tears and financial losses estimated at more than $85B. The extent of financial losses was estimated by AIR Worldwide, using a catastrophe modeling approach.

The gargantuan destruction was deeply widely evident in Puerto Rico, while Florida and Texas, escaped nature’s wrath this time. The destructive tropical storm has headed towards the eastern fringes of the Pacific Ocean, with stormy winds, gusty winds and heavy rain in its trail.

The infrastructure lost to the catastrophe included massive public buildings bridges and road networks, while the real estate losses can be traceable to Island investment corporations allied to Wall Street. The destruction that arose this time has been estimated to be twice that of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma combined.

The Trail of Destruction

The wind speed of Hurricane Maria was an equivalent of the winds that attended Hurricane Irma early in the month. The flooding submerged the Island and crippled the communications network. To make the flooding worse, a dam was also damaged to imperil the people who lived downstream on the island.

With help slow in coming, Governor Ricardo Rossello has cried out over the impending humanitarian crisis that the destruction has stoked. Help has been requested by Island officials from Congress, in order to open up an aid package that could bring tangible relief. The Island’s economy has been wobbling of late, and without help, life can grind to halt for residents.

The Governor has underscored the need for aid to come in time to prevent a massive exodus of residents from the Island to other parts of America.

Federal Help

In his response, U.S. president, Donald Trump, has identified the need for aid to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and has planned to visit soon the scenes of the devastation soon. While residents might see the announcement by White House officials of the presidential visit as signs of immediate help, the non-confirmation of the visit date makes the schedule uncertain.

The US FEMA has loaded ships and airplanes with needed relief materials for residents of the Island of Puerto Rico. The package contains water, generators, meals, and disposables. Already, 10,000 employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency have landed in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to provide rescue services.

The dire situation of residents, who have been left without water, cell phone services, fuel, and power, is one that calls for sustained action to provide the needed relief. As Americans monitor the situation, it is expected that life will be back to normal for residents in no distant time.

The continuing services offered by FEMA should assuage the sense of loss that currently pervades the entire landscape.

Hurricane Changing Directions

As at Wednesday morning, the thrust of Hurricane Maria is confirmed to have headed for the British Isles, where it is expectedly going to merge with the emerging Hurricane Lee. There is no doubt that this is the season of Hurricanes, but, analysts are expecting the impact won’t be too grievous for the world’s economy, just yet.