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A lonely aerial view of Irma’s destruction in the Florida Keys

Damaged houses in the Florida Keys on Monday, Sept. 11.
Damaged houses in the Florida Keys on Monday, Sept. 11.
Image: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
By
Johnny Simon
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Hurricane Irma started its path in the continental United States with the Florida Keys, a quiet archipelago connected by a single highway.

Although Irma struck on Sept 10, some Keys residents still cannot return to their homes. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, estimates that a quarter of homes in these islands were destroyed, according to the Associated Press. Multiple islands remain off-limits to residents. Below, new aerial photos released by Reuters and the AP reveal the damage left behind, and suggest the long process of rebuilding that awaits the storm’s victims.

Debris at a dock in Key West, Fla. on Sept. 12
Debris at a dock in Key West, Fla. on Sept. 12
Image: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
A damaged home sits in Key West, Fla. on Sept. 12.
A damaged home sits in Key West, Fla. on Sept. 12.
Image: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
A sailboat is pushed up between two buildings in Key West on Sept. 12
A sailboat is pushed up between two buildings in Key West on Sept. 12
Image: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Debris from Hurricane Irma is pushed up against a sea wall in Key West, Fla. on Sept 12.
Debris from Hurricane Irma is pushed up against a sea wall in Key West, Fla. on Sept 12.
Image: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
A destroyed trailer park in Marathon, Fla. on Sept. 13.
A destroyed trailer park in Marathon, Fla. on Sept. 13.
Image: Reuters/Carlo Allegri
Boats are pictured washed ashore in Marathon, Fla.
Boats are pictured washed ashore in Marathon, Fla.
Image: Reuters/Carlo Allegri
A bridge with boats washed up under it in Marathon, Fla.
A bridge with boats washed up under it in Marathon, Fla.
Image: Reuters/Carlo Allegri
A destroyed trailer park in Marathon, Fla.
A destroyed trailer park in Marathon, Fla.
A sunken boat off the cost of Marathon, Fla.
A sunken boat off the cost of Marathon, Fla.
Image: Reuters/Carlo Allegri
A destroyed marina in Marathon Fla.
A destroyed marina in Marathon Fla.
Image: Reuters/Carlo Allegri