Vieques Devastated By Hurricane Maria, New Pictures And Videos Reveal Wreckage

Hurricane Maria made landfall Wednesday on Vieques, a small Caribbean island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. The storm swept through as a Category 5 hurricane with winds exceeding 150 mph in certain areas. Initial images from the island showed extensive damage to homes and infrastructure after the storm finally moved on.

People pleaded for information on social media about their families on Vieques Thursday as minimal communication was made with the island. Numerous reports on social media said all communication was down with island as power was lost. Some said more than 9,000 people were stranded without cell phone reception or any kind of power. Many asked for information about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

“Is anyone on the island right now who could check on my missing family?” a user named Anne Richards implored on Twitter.

A video posted by news outlet WAPA-TV showed the devastation left by the hurricane. Downed trees and debris littered the island as rough surf continued to pummel the coast even after the worst of the storm passed through. Power lines whipped in the wind as residents began to survey what was left of their surroundings. Many businesses “no longer existed”’ in the wake of the hurricane, WAPA reported, noting that many residents were “crying in dismay” after they saw the damage.

Rescue crews from the United States Coast Guard and Navy as well as the British Royal Navy searched Thursday for a ship that went missing off the coast of Vieques Wednesday, the organizations said in a press release. The vessel became disabled in 20-foot waves and issued a distress call before it went missing. Two adults and two children were on the boat, the Coast Guard said.

A fundraiser that said it was started by Kelly Thompson, the editor and publisher of Vieques Insider magazine, Szaritza Yamira, a disaster relief specialist and Sharon Pepin, a grant writer and administrator, was started to raise money for the island. The GoFundMe page had garnered almost $19,000 in less than 24 hours.