A U.S. Navy vessel is headed for Haiti Tuesday to offer humanitarian aid in case a brewing storm strikes the small island nation.

Forecasters said tropical depression Tomas is expected to regain hurricane strength and veer toward Haiti later in the week.

"The models are still suggesting that this system will re-intensify later tonight or into the Thursday-Friday time frame as it approaches the Windward Passage, Haiti coastline," said Dave Roberts, hurricane specialist at National Hurricane Center in Miami early Wednesday.

Authorities are making preparations and warning people to take shelter.

Based on its predicted path, the storm could hit every major Haitian city, including Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes, Gonaives, and Cap-Haitien.

Unfortunately, most of Haiti's residents would have nowhere to go should the storm strike. The nation is still struggling to recover from January's earthquake, with millions still living in tent cities.

"The government doesn't have shelters for 1,300,000 people," Haiti civil protection official Abel Nazaire said.