did not suffer much damage when Hurricane Andrew swept by late on Sunday afternoon.

A Bermudian in charge of a huge resort and two hotels on Paradise Island, joined to Nassau by a bridge, said things are back to normal there today with guests "back at the beach''.

But the island of Eleuthera 30 miles away was "devastated'', according to the Nassau Tribune yesterday.

North Eleuthera was expected to be declared a disaster zone today, allowing the duty free importation of vital supplies to the outer island.

And the confirmed death toll has been raised to four.

Bimini and the Berry Islands were also badly hit as Andrew crossed right over the three islands packing winds of 140 mph on Sunday.

Damage on the luxury resort island of Cat Cay, described as an exclusive hide-away for wealthy Americans, has been estimated at $100 million, with 85 percent of the buildings flattened.

In the Bluff area on north Eleuthera, 24 out of 30 homes were destroyed while between 300 and 500 people have been left homeless on the nearby island of Spanish Wells, the Tribune said.

Offers of assistance have poured in from the US, Japan, Canada and Britain, which also has a Royal Navy frigate in the area and is sendingtwo more ships to assist.

Bermudian Mr. Michael Williams, who left the Island in the late 1960s, said guests of Paradise-Paradise and the exclusive Ocean Club were moved to the 1,000-room Paradise Island Resort and Casino on Sunday morning.

He said by the time Andrew was racing towards Florida, there was a "party going on'' at the resort. He added the power did not go out at all on the resort island.

Maximum sustained winds were 110 mph over Nassau and Paradise Island, he said.

Mr. Williams said Nassau hoteliers had prepared well for Andrew.

At his hotels, he said all movable objects were taken inside, sandbags were placed in the hotels to prevent flooding and a special medical team was brought in to deal with any injuries -- but there were none.

"Guests were kept up to date on the hurricane's position and handed maps,'' he added.

He said the winds started building at about 4.15 p.m., with Andrew's eye sweeping by around 8.30 p.m.

"Damage was slight. Quite a number of trees and signs on the properties were blown down and a couple of sections of our roof were blown off, but that was about the extent of it,'' Mr. Williams said.

He said the storm surge was not as severe as expected with most water damage coming from "driving rain'' which seeped under balcony doors.

Mr. Coakley reported there was also little damage on the Cable Beach strip in Nassau, where most major hotels are.

And he said the Bahamian telephone and electric companies did an "excellent job'' restoring power and communication.

"No tourist operations were forced to close down as far as I know,'' he said.

He said international flights out of Nassau's airport resumed at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

A Bahamas News Bureau spokesman said the only hotel on the Cable Beach strip which lost power was the Crystal Palace casino resort.

Guests were led up to their rooms by flashlight and told to stay there until power was restored. Each room had candlelight, he said.

Many of Nassau's wooden houses suffered damage, he said, but most were not occupied because residents went to designated shelters for safety.

One happy thing to come out of the hurricane, is the birth of a baby at one of the shelters in the midst of the storm. Little Andrea was delivered by members of the church which was serving as a shelter, he said.

"It was pretty devastated,'' he said. "In Current village there were 30 homes. Only six remain standing.'' Eleuthera -- known for its beaches, pineapple plantations and frequented by film stars -- is 110 miles long and five miles at its widest point. It has about 10,000 residents.