Puerto Rico Still Struggling One Year After Hurricane Maria

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Exactly one year ago today, Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico.

Visible roof damage in a school in the Carola neighborhood on September 19, 2018 in RIO GRANDE. Hurricane Maria slammed into the island on September 20 resulting in the death of nearly 3,000 people in the months following the storm according to George Washington University's Milken Institute. US President Donald Trump has disputed those the death toll. (Photo by Angel Valentin/Getty Images)

The devastating Category 4 storm left the whole island without power for months. In fact, Maria created the largest blackout in U.S. history, leaving over 1.5 million Puerto Ricans in the dark.

Almost 3,000 people died, according to a recently released report from George Washington University , up from the original count of 64.

However, President Trump disputed the latest death toll, claiming the Democrats were to blame for making him "look as bad as possible."

Today, Puerto Ricans continue to rebuild and remember the lives lost.

The U.S. territory estimates it will take $139 billion to fully recover.

Over 135,000 Puerto Ricans have relocated to the U.S. mainland since the hurricane, according to a report released by the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York. The majority have gone to Florida.