A newly released satellite image from the U.S. government shows Puerto Rico in a complete blackout.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tweeted an image of Puerto Rico before and after Hurricane Maria “knocked out” the power grid.
Millions of people remain without power in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm, wreaked havoc on the U.S. territory last week.
Resources such as clean water and food are also scarce. Those remaining on the island have had to wait for supplies from the U.S. government.
Gov. Ricardo Rossello did not mince words describing the damage in an interview with CNN.
"This is a major disaster," he said.
He called on Congress to offer "something tangible, a bill that actually answers to our need right now.”
Part of that may include restoring electrical power. Ken Buell, director of Emergency Response and Recovery with the U.S. Department of Energy, told The Verge that the U.S. territory remains in a near-blackout.
“We really should think in terms of rebuilding at this point,” he said. “They’re saying as far as economic impact, we're talking probably billions of dollars of impact. So it's a big deal.”