A man walks past debris Sunday on St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Days after Hurricane Irma smashed through the U.S. territory, residents say they barely recognize their homes

The U.S. Virgin Islands are beginning a lengthy recovery process after back-to-back hurricanes tore through the Caribbean. Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria occurred in a two-week time frame within each other.

A month has passed since Maria ravaged the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the islands continue to operate in emergency mode. Time ticks away in a hazy state of permanent disaster, a catastrophe born from the worst storm to cross the islands in 85 years.

Hurricane Maria ravaged St. Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The storm unleashed powerful winds and heavy rainfall, tearing off roofs, downing trees and decimating the communications and power grid across the island, according to the U.S. Virgin Islands Emergency Operations Center.

Two of the main islands, St. John and St. Thomas, were destroyed by Hurricane Irma just 14 days earlier. The back-to-back storms delivered a one-two punch in the Caribbean territory, known for its white sand beaches.

Elaine Duke, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary, said the U.S. Virgin Islands are facing “total devastation.”

FEMA issued a statement Thursday night saying its top priority is continuing to provide life-sustaining resources to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the wake of the storms. Thousands of federal staff, including more than 600 FEMA personnel, are on the ground and are engaged in response and recovery operations from Hurricanes Maria and Irma, the agency said.

FEMA, along with its federal partners, provided millions of meals and millions of liters of water to the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. Virgin Islands have established 17 sites for supplies distribution, according to FEMA.

The parents of Lina Thomas, a Hampton University junior from St. Thomas, are still picking up the pieces.

“My house survived because it had a concrete roof, but other homes in the area were not as fortunate,” Thomas said. “I have spoken with my parents, and they are doing OK. Now, it’s a matter of getting the island back to where it was before the hurricanes hit. Day by day, the island will get back to the excellence shape it was in. It’s just going to take time.

“The neighborhood I grew up in is mostly demolished. My neighbors started the process last week of rebuilding their home. My house luckily is still standing with only the roof missing. My family’s only worry is to replace the floors, carpet and roof in the house while my neighbors must rebuild new homes. It was nothing but God.”

Maria Thomas, his mother, spoke of the progress in a phone interview.

“Both my husband and I have returned back to work and got our house roof fixed last week,” she said. “My husband is helping our neighbors rebuild their homes since he has some construction background.”

Like many residents in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Thomas’ family is trying to pick up the pieces of their life left by Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism urged people wanting to visit to postpone their trips while authorities assess the damage and the islands recover from both storms.

“My parents are doing OK, and they are still picking up the pieces,” said Bria Lewis, a Hampton University junior from St. Croix. “When I talked to my dad yesterday, he told me the local grocery store was opened up yesterday with limited food selections. The store is waiting for more shipments to come in and is expected to be running fully by next Friday. Food was scarce after the Hurricane Maria first hit.”