Photos: Hurricane Maria, the storm that just pounded Puerto Rico

By Kainaz Amaria and Eliza Barclay Sep 20, 2017, From VOX

San Juan Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

The peak of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season over the past two weeks has been unrelentingly brutal for the Caribbean. Hurricane Irma departed the region for Florida on September 9, and residents of islands like St. Thomas and Puerto Rico were still waiting for the power to come back on. Then Hurricane Maria was suddenly hurtling toward them.

Maria, which has weakened from a furious Category 5 to a Category 3 storm, was finishing its assault on Puerto Rico Wednesday afternoon after knocking out power for the entire island, home to 3.5 million people. Before that, it toppled trees and flooded streets on the tiny islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Next, it’s expected to graze the Dominican Republic and move near the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday and Friday. The National Hurricane Center is still predicting 6- to 9-foot storm surge — which can be the deadliest part of a hurricane — along the coasts of Puerto Rico and other islands, along with destructive winds and “life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.”

This is a map of the storm’s path, which will automatically update as it moves west.

Here are some of the most striking images from the ground we’ve seen so far from Maria’s path through the Caribbean. (This post will be updated with new images this week as they become available.)

September 20
Puerto Rico

Cantera, San Juan Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

San Juan Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

San Juan Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

San Juan Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
September 19
Guadeloupe

Petit-Bourg Cedrik-Isham Calvados/AFP/Getty Images

Petit-Bourg Cedrik-Isham Calvados/AFP/Getty Images

Petit-Bourg Cedrik-Isham Calvados/AFP/Getty Images
Martinique

Fort-de-France Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP/Getty Images

Le Carbet Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP/Getty Images

Le Carbet Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP/Getty Images

Le Carbet Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP/Getty Images

Le Carbet Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP/Getty Images

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