U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth
Mapp on Thursday ordered all civilians off the streets at all times in
hurricane-wracked St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas until further notice.
"Your presence on the roads
will only hamper clean-up efforts and could delay the
distribution of critically needed supplies," Mapp said in a statement.
On St. Croix, Virgin Islands
National Guard teams worked to clear the runway at Henry Rohlsen airport to
allow relief flights and rescue teams to land.
Damage assessments are underway,
but two hotels on St. Croix have reported minimal damage from Hurricane Maria.
Caravelle Hotel & Casino in Christiansted was flooded on the ground floor
but the hotel is operational as no guest rooms were flooded.
"The hotel will be
accommodating relief workers and will provide an update when we will accept
additional guests," a hotel spokesperson said in a statement.
The Buccaneer was spared major
damage and said all guests stayed safe during the storm.
Tourism Commissioner Beverly
Nicholson-Doty said that heavy rainfall and flooding from Hurricane Maria
impacted all three islands. St. Thomas and St. John had already been decimated
by Hurricane Irma.
"Communications are limited
and our teams are in the process of assessing damages to our infrastructure,"
she said in a statement.
Cyril E. King Airport on St.
Thomas was scheduled to reopen this week but that has been delayed by Hurricane
Maria's destruction. There is no reopening date at the moment.