Hurricane Maria's Aftermath: Photos Reveal Devastation on Caribbean Islands

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Street cleaning in Toa Baja

People clean the streets in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 22, 2017.

(Image credit: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty)

People clean the streets in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 22, 2017, two days after Hurricane Maria roared ashore as a Category 4 storm, killing at least 13 to 15 people and knocking out the island's power grid.

Destroyed home in Catano town

A man walks through his house, which was destroyed by Hurricane Maria, in Catano town, Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21, 2017.

(Image credit: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty)

A man walks through his house, which was destroyed by Hurricane Maria, in Catano town, Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21, 2017.

Aerial view of Dominica

An aerial view of Roseau, the capital of the Caribbean island of Dominica, shows the destruction on Sept. 21.

(Image credit: Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP/Getty)

An aerial view of Roseau, the capital of the Caribbean island of Dominica, shows the destruction on Sept. 21, just days after the passage of Hurricane Maria on Sept 18 as a Category 5 storm. Hurricane Maria killed at least 14 people on the island nation of Dominica, two in Guadeloupe and one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Reuters reported.

Destroyed homes in Juana Matos

Residents inspect houses that were destroyed by Hurricane Maria, in Catano town, Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21, 2017.

(Image credit: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty)

Residents inspect houses that were destroyed by Hurricane Maria, in Catano town, Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 21, 2017. Juana Matos is located on the northeast coast of the island. On Friday, Sept. 22, tens of thousands of people living in northwestern Puerto Rico were order to evacuate due to fears of the failure of a dam holding back a large inland lake, according to the Washington Post.

Damage in Roseau

Damage to houses in Roseau, on the Caribbean island of Dominica, can be seen on Sept. 21.

(Image credit: Lionel Chamoiseau/AFP/Getty)

Damage to houses in Roseau, on the Caribbean island of Dominica, can be seen on Sept. 21, three days after Hurricane Maria roared through, leaving at least 13 to 15 residents dead.

Jeanna Bryner
Managing editor, Scientific American

Jeanna Bryner is managing editor of Scientific American. Previously she was editor in chief of Live Science and, prior to that, an editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Bryner has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University. She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species, including the gorgeous Florida Scrub Jay. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is a firm believer that science is for everyone and that just about everything can be viewed through the lens of science.