Sometimes devastation – like beauty – is best viewed from above. The NASA Earth Observatory has released an astonishing set of images which show the stark contrast of islands in the Caribbean before and after Hurricane Irma struck.

Barbuda, Anguilla, the Virgin Islands, and Cuba were hit by the worst of the storm, with some islands reporting that 90% of their structures were damaged or destroyed.

These natural-color images were captured by the Landsat 8 satellite, before and after the storm hit.

According to NASA science writer Kathryn Hansen, the visible browning of the islands could be down to fierce winds, which reached speeds of 185mph and tore plants and trees from the earth. The salt spray whipped on to the island by the hurricane would also dry out the leaves on trees – causing them to turn brown.

Foto: Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. source NASA Earth Observatory

Some islands fared better than others – vegetation on the west of Virgin Gorda (above) appears greener than the rest of the island probably because of shielding by hills in the island centre.

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“Wild isolation that made St. Barts, St. Martin, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands vacation paradises has turned them into cutoff, chaotic nightmares in the wake of Hurricane Irma,” according to a report by the Associated Press.

Foto: Antigua and Barbuda. source NASA Earth Observatory

Barbuda was the first island in the Caribbean to feel the wrath of Irma. The storm “totally demolished” the island, damaging upward of 90% of structures, according to the nation’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne. The devastation caused will cost $100 million to repair, Browne said.

Barbuda’s sister island of Antigua, however, appears relatively undamaged. The eye of Irma passed North of Antigua resulting in a much lesser impact – the day after the hurricane passed through, electricity had been restored and the island’s airport was reopened.