TIME

THE ISLAND AND THE STORM

Puerto Rico was wrecked by Hurricane Maria, then ignored by the mainland
A man rides a bicycle on a damaged road in Toa Alta, west of San Juan, on Sept. 24

THE QUIET AFTER A STORM IS A REAL THING. Stillness is drenched in humidity and scorched by a sun blasting down from the clear skies that will eventually follow a hurricane. But on this island of 3.4 million people, the quiet after Hurricane Maria had a distinct feeling of absence, an inattention bordering on obliviousness.

The fifth strongest storm ever to strike the U.S. hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 with stronger winds than Irma brought to Florida

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