Omar was taking an unusual southwest-to-northeast track toward the central North Atlantic, well away from the U.S. mainland. It was expected to become a tropical storm by Friday, according to the hurricane center.

On Thursday, cleanup crews fanned out across several flooded Caribbean islands, where power and water were slowly being restored.

Ports in Puerto Rico reopened, but remained closed in St. Croix.

In St. Maarten, roads were flooded and littered with tree branches and other debris, but authorities lifted a curfew Thursday afternoon and planned to reopen the main airport on Friday.

Two hotels — Divi Little Bay Beach Resort and Royal Islander Club — might close temporarily after heavy water and wind damage, said Robert Dubourcq, executive product manager for St. Maarten's Hospitality and Trade Association.

A disco and restaurant at the Caravanserai Resort were destroyed, and construction of 260 new rooms might be temporarily halted, he said.

"Luckily, unlike hurricanes that we had in the past, Omar didn't affect our fauna," Dubourcq said. "The island is still green."