Truly Maria - The Modern Hurricane Maria: A Normative CritiqueHurricane Maria is considered the worst natural disaster on record in Dominica and Puerto Rico. The tenth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and the world's most intense tropical cyclone in 2017, Maria was the eighth consecutive named storm, the fourth major hurricane, the second Category 5 hurricane, and the deadliest storm of the 2017's hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season. At its peak, the hurricane caused catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the northeast Caribbean, exacerbating recovery efforts in areas of the Leeward Islands already affected by Hurricane Irma. Maria was the third consecutive major hurricane to threaten the Leeward Islands in two weeks. after Irma made landfall on several islands two weeks earlier and Hurricane Jose passed dangerously close, bringing tropical storm force winds to Barbuda. Maria is also the third costliest tropical cyclone on record, with total damages of around $100 billion; only hurricanes Katrina and Harvey earlier in the season respectively caused more damage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayOriginating from a tropical wave, Maria became a tropical storm on September 16, eTast of the Lesser Antilles. Highly favorable environmental conditions allowed the storm to undergo explosive intensification as it approached the island arc. The hurricane reached Category 5 strength on September 18 shortly before making landfall on Dominica, becoming the first Category 5 hurricane on record to hit the island. After weakening slightly as it crossed over Dominica, Maria reached its peak intensity over the eastern Caribbean with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and an earlier temperature of 908 mbar, making it the tenth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record. On September 20, an eye-replacement cycle took place, weakening Maria or a high-end Category 4 hurricane by the time it hit Puerto Rico. Interaction with land further weakened the hurricane, although it regained some strength as it moved northeast of the Bahamas. Slowly moving northward, Maria gradually degraded and weakened to a tropical strom on September 28. Embedded in the westerly winds. Maria accelerated eastward and subsequently east-northwestward over the open Atlantic, becoming extratropical on September 30 and dissipating by October 3. As of November 20, at least 517 people have been killed by the hurricane: 499 in Puerto Rico. 31 in Dominica, 5 in the Dominican Republic, 4 in the contiguous United States, 3 in Haiti, 2 in Guadeloupe. and 3 in the US Virgin Islands. Dozens of others, especially in Dominica and Puerto Rico, are still missing. The death toll in Puerto Rico is believed to be far higher than the official toll of 58, with estimates of actual loss of life ranging from 500 to over 1,000. Maria caused catastrophic damage to the whole of Dominica, which suffered an island-wide communications blackout. Much of the housing stock and infrastructure remained irreparable, while the island's lush vegetation had been virtually eradicated. The island of Guadeloupe and Martinique suffered widespread flooding, damaged roofs and uprooted trees. Puerto Rico suffered catastrophic damage, including the destruction of its previously damaged power grid. For weeks in Maria's wake, most of the island's population suffered from food shortages and a lack of resources, exacerbated by the slow relief process. Total losses,.