The town is now without power or running water, and officials estimate the damage at $5 million.

Mayor Allan Clare estimated the town would run out of water in two to three weeks.

Bahamian government officials said Tuesday some 1,300 gallons of water were delivered via airplane over two days and a generator was en route. Ingraham told The Miami Herald his priority was "to make homes safe by covering the roofs, to ensure theres a continuous supply of fresh water."

After his two-hour visit, Ingraham boarded a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter for the nearby island of Mayaguana and then Grand Turk, capital of neighboring Turks and Caicos Islands. On Grand Turk, Ingraham and Misick found devastation.

At the international airport, the fire station's roof was peeled back and its contents strewn about. The island's narrow streets were littered with broken glass and shingles. Houses stood with no roofs.

"This is the most significant disaster we've had in modern history, " Misick said. "But Providenciales and Parrot Key, the major tourism sites, are unaffected and open for business."

By the time Ike bore down last week, the string of islands had already been soaked by Tropical Storm Hanna, which battered the tiny British dependent territory for days, flooding streets and tearing off shingles.

"That was a lot of water, a lot of rain. We got hit twice, " said Misick, who flew in a 19-seater from Providenciales over South Caicos and then landed in Grand Turk. As the plane flew over South Caicos, Misick pointed to the flooded roads in the tightknit fishing community where horses still run wild at night. A British warship with supplies sat off the island's coast.

Aid was slowly trickling into Turks and Caicos. The Red Cross had delivered canned food, water and other supplies. The British Navy delivered water, crackers, packages of soup and peanut butter.

But people still need more food and water -- and temporary shelter, said Misick, estimating it would cost several hundred million dollars to rebuild the islands and replace an important causeway linking Middle and North Caicos.

That there was no loss of life on either island, Misick said, "is a miracle itself." But the extensive damage was still hard to bear.

"It's discouraging, depressing, " said Robert Newman, 39, standing next to a makeshift stove as a pot simmered with pork shoulder.

Newman's house, built just a few years ago, held up well, save for a few leaks. Now it was home to 13 of his family and friends, homeless after the storm.

"It's almost like everything is gone."