San Juan, September 21 (RHC)-- Communities across Puerto Rico held memorials throughout the island on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, the devastating storm that killed thousands and caused the longest blackout in U.S. history. 

Puerto Rico’s governor recently updated the death toll from the storm to 2,975 people, after multiple news outlets and universities demonstrated that thousands of people died during the days and weeks after Maria.  A Harvard study estimates the death toll might be as high as 4,645.  

But last week, President Trump claimed the death toll was inflated by Democrats to make him look bad. And he claimed that the government’s response to the storm was an “incredible unsung success.” 

In Puerto Rico, local residents strongly criticized Trump’s comments.  Sharon Nunez Cortez, a resident of Barceloneta, said: "He is giving his opinion from the comfort of his chair without knowing what really happened.”