Residents' possessions are shredded and scattered outside the Tutu High Rise in St. Thomas more than a week after Hurricane Irma destroyed the building. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Virgin Islands lack supplies for second hurricane pummeling

Still in a state of near-total destruction from Hurricane Irma this month, the U.S. Virgin Islands are now bracing for another major storm and may be woefully unprepared.

As much as 20 inches of rain could pound the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John over the next two days, prompting President Donald Trump to declare a state of emergency on Monday. FEMA officials warn of potentially “life-threatening flash floods and mudslides” that could last through the weekend.


But the Caribbean island chain is short on crucial supplies as Hurricane Maria approaches, according to internal briefing documents obtained by POLITICO.

“There are supplies that are literally out to sea right now that are not being brought in,” FEMA spokesman Don Caetano said by phone from St. Croix on Monday. “Had Maria not been a factor, those supplies would have been there already.”

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As of Monday morning, Virgin Islands officials had received none of the 29 generators ordered. About 15,000 sheeting covers were delivered for protecting homes, of more than 135,000 requested. And a dozen shelter kits arrived, of more than 58 ordered — with supplies like clothing, medical equipment and hygiene items.

The territory is also short about 400,000 meals, of 2 million ordered. Out of 450 cots requested, 300 are available.

Notably, the supply shortage is not an issue of cash. Congress just approved a $15 billion disaster relief package that will go toward recovery efforts in the U.S. territories, as well as several hurricane-battered states.

Caetano said both FEMA and the Virgin Islands’ governor agreed to hold off on deliveries until after Hurricane Maria to “protect the commodities and also to protect the infrastructure.”

All ports have been closed since Sunday night in anticipation of the storm, and just one small airport has remained open for disaster relief efforts. In recent days, that tarmac has been used to help evacuate hundreds of federal personnel.

A shipment of 10,000 cots, 31 generators and nearly 1.7 million liters of water had been expected to reach shore by Tuesday but has been held up. And several ships were stopped en route that would have created short-term housing for more than 2,000 responders.

Federal efforts to deliver supplies have also been hamstrung by the lack of infrastructure.

Cell coverage is virtually nonexistent. Eight in 10 houses were substantially damaged in the last storm — compared to 40 percent in Puerto Rico, according to FEMA documents. And reconstruction has been slow.

Few people have power, with utility restoration efforts paused until after the hurricane.

“To say it is damaged down here — that’s an understatement,” Caetano said.

The impending storm is expected to be so destructive that even members of the U.S. military have been ordered to leave the island. About 600 personnel have been pulled out in total, including members of the U.S. Air Force surgical team, FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue groups, Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Forest Service.

Many of those federal workers were sent back to the mainland on last-minute flights, while others boarded a nearby Navy ship.

“If they were able to stay here, they would totally have done that,” Caetano said. “Those of us who are here are ready to hunker down.”

FEMA has dispatched emergency response groups to shelter in place on each of the three largest islands during the hurricane. Those teams include roughly 500 National Guard members, who are helping to run emergency operation centers.