2017 is considered the most costly hurricane year on record. During its hurricane season, decades of development gains in some small islands in the Caribbean were eradicated. Beginning on 8 September 2017, Hurricane Irma tore through the Caribbean, bringing destruction and devastation. As communities were assessing the damage and loss and just starting the rebuilding process, Hurricane Maria made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, bringing further destruction and devastation. Both hurricanes Irma and Maria registered as some of the most powerful hurricanes in recorded history, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.