After the Hurricane: The Deserted Florida Keys | National Geographic

In addition to the guests in the vacation homes, about 73,000 people live year round in Monroe County, which includes much of the Florida Keys. The inhabitants, who are known for their independence, refer to themselves colloquially as “Conch Republic” (Eng. Sea slug republic) – an allusion to the region’s popular shellfish and the US “pseudo-secession” in 1982. According to the Miami Herald, around 10,000 people stayed in their homes to weather the storm.

For both those who stayed and those who were evacuated, the full extent of the storm’s damage only became apparent last week. Four days after Irma hit land last Wednesday, there was largely no running water, no electricity and no functioning sewage system in southern Florida.

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