Thursday marked 100 days since a Category 4 Hurricane named Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, and destroyed much of the island, leaving more than 3 million people in dire straits. One essential service still remains missing for many: electricity.

The Puerto Rican government says that, as of Friday, 70 percent of the island’s power has been restored though it’s unclear exactly how many people are still without electricity. Some reports have put that figure at 1 million people.

Other basic services like water and communication on the island are close to being fully restored, but electricity is not expected to fully come back until as late as the end of May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told ABC News. By then, it will have been eight months since the storm first hit.

In recent days, photojournalists on the island have captured what life without power for so long looks like.

RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO - DECEMBER 24: A car battery connected to an inverter provides power for a makeshift street party, on a block without grid electricity, on Christmas Eve on December 24, 2017 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

In this Dec. 22, 2017 photo, 75 year old Joaquin Rivera Calderon gets up early to check out a model allusive to the birth of the baby Jesus established on the balcony of his house in Morovis, Puerto Rico. AP Photo/Carlos Giusti

In this Dec. 21, 2017 photo, barrio Patron resident Karina Santiago Gonzalez works on a small power plant in Morovis, Puerto Rico. AP Photo/Carlos Giusti

In this Dec. 21, 2017 photo, a barrio Patron resident uses a cell phone in the middle of the dark in Morovis, Puerto Rico. AP Photo/Carlos Giusti

Video recorded by CNN correspondent Leyla Santiago also shows what it’s like to be on some parts of the island where only a few lights can be seen at night.

CBS News correspondent David Begnaud reported Friday that Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello has asked for 1,500 more workers to join the 3,500 workers currently working to help restore electricity to the island.

Have some thoughts to share?

Join me in a conversation: Shoot me a private email with your thoughts or ideas on a different approach to this story. As always, you can also send us a tweet.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez

Read The Conversation on Flipboard.