FEMA Admits It Underestimated Hurricane Maria In a new report, FEMA Says it underestimated how devastating Hurricane Maria could be to Puerto Rico. The organization adds it failed to grasp the "insufficiently maintained infrastructure," especially the power grid, of the island. Some reports say the hurricane led to the deaths of 4,600 people on the island nation. The 2017 hurricane season was the costliest on record, with the storms causing $265 billion in damage. Nearly five million people registered for FEMA assistance from the storms and the California wildfires. This number is more than in the last 10 years combined.