Jose Alexis Carrasquillo, 62, shown at his home, went to a shelter in San Isidro, but it was too crowded and didn't have water. He was renovating his house just before Hurricane Maria. "I can rebuild, I just need electricity," he said. "The power infrastructure was badly damaged and will take months to get it repaired." Photo by Joseph Rodriguez
Puerto Rico in the Dark
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Satellite dishes in Humacao were destroyed by Hurricane Maria, which knocked out power and communications across the island.
Residents of Utuado must collect water from the mountain stream to wash themselves and their clothes, and to cook.
Damaged belongings of Evelyn Burgos's children at their home in Florida, P.R.
Jose Alexis Carrasquillo, 62, shown at his home, went to a shelter in San Isidro, but it was too crowded and didn't have water. He was renovating his house just before Hurricane Maria. "I can rebuild, I just need electricity," he said. "The power infrastructure was badly damaged and will take months to get it repaired."
In Utuado, Samuel Perez, 74 years old, collected water for washing and cooking.
Felix Rafael Cordero, an 86-year-old Korean War veteran, is a painter and photographer in Caguas. He left his house before Hurricane Maria, which destroyed it. "My home and life's work were taken away," he said.
A boy playing in an abandoned house in Caño Martín Peña.
In San Sebastian, a family gathers water from a stream in the hills. The government has warned the population to be cautious when taking water from the countryside because of possible contamination by dead animals.
Alberto Luquis walking with a volunteer at his home, where his wife grew up, in El Caño. Over 800 roofs in the area were destroyed.
Ilda Sanchez 56, with her husband Alberto Luquis, 62. During the hurricane they found a dead six-foot long alligator in their backyard. The house was also under water up to his chest.
Power lines were still down throughout the island a month after the hurricane.
People lined up for hours one night in the rain to get food and water in Santurce, San Juan, P.R.
A bridge destroyed by Hurricane Maria was temporarily repaired by local laborers in Utuado, Puerto Rico.All photos by Joseph Rodriguez
The catastrophic effects of the storm, which have arguably been exacerbated by the slow and indifferent response of the federal government, left the island and its residents battered yet defiant. They are facing a yearslong process of recovery.
Read the full story from The New York Times.
Joseph Rodríguez, a photojournalist, is a professor at New York University and the International Center of Photography.
Co-published with The New York Times.
