Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm, the strongest hurricane to hit the island in over 80 years.
The 155-mile-per-hour winds crushed balconies, bent gates, downed trees, and brought widespread flooding to the island. The storm also brought an island-wide power outage, and officials do not know when electricity will return.
The storm continued to bring rain to Puerto Rico overnight Wednesday.
Puerto Rico’s governor told CNN that one man had died after he was hit by flying debris. The man is one of at least 10 people who have died in the Caribbean as a result of Hurricane Maria’s wrath.
Advertisement
San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz told NBC that she is worried officials will not be able to get to everyone to help them in time.
“The Puerto Rico and the San Juan that we knew yesterday is no longer there,” she said.
"The Puerto Rico and the San Juan that we knew yesterday is no longer there," San Juan's mayor tells @GadiNBC as she fights back tears. pic.twitter.com/M4yL7hHWe5
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) September 20, 2017
Here are some photos and videos from Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the storm:


Footage shows cars flooded due to #HurricaneMaria while a siren rings in the background in Caguas, Puerto Rico https://t.co/8kYyHQn9ER pic.twitter.com/Y0KgwIdJCF
— CNN (@CNN) September 21, 2017
What it's like to ride out Hurricane #Maria, the worst storm to hit Puerto Rico in nearly 100 years. https://t.co/UXKNeHws1F pic.twitter.com/vREkc5keyZ
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 21, 2017
Hurricane Maria ripped the roofs off these homes in San Juan, Puerto Rico https://t.co/VGpWK7tl7e pic.twitter.com/jnt6nRhRXR
— CNN (@CNN) September 20, 2017
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Felicia Gans can be reached at felicia.gans@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @FeliciaGans.