A study by the Universities of Michigan and Utah found that federal aid to Puerto Rico was slower and less “generous” after Hurricane Maria than federal aid received by Texas and Florida after hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Hurricane Maria, which slammed into the island of Puerto Rico in September 2017, was in fact a higher category hurricane than those which struck the mainland United States just weeks earlier. Local residents have decried FEMA’s response to the disaster. Last year, a Harvard study said the death toll from Maria may top 4,600.