Bermuda's volunteer soldiers have been praised for their part in helping to get the Island back to normal in the wake of Hurricane Fabian.

More than 300 khaki-clad members of the Bermuda Regiment were out clearing blocked roads as soon as the danger of Fabian had passed.

Regiment public relations officer Lt. Wayne Caines said the volunteers had made "a huge sacrifice" for which the Island was "exceedingly grateful".

He added that commanding officer Lt. Col. Eddie Lamb was happy with the turnout of the troops - 330 of 500 men answered the call for embodiment.

As well as clearing road debris, soldiers also assisted in the repair of the damaged airport and hospital roofs and helped civilians with house repairs. They were also despatched to The Causeway and public schools.

Regiment spokesman Pte. Robin Simmons said: "We have soldiers working at the east end of the Island assisting Works and Engineering crews with road clearing and housing needs.

"We also have Regimental Police (RB) who are assisting Bermuda Police with traffic control on The Causeway. There are also soldiers at the Public Transport Department at Palmetto Road assisting with clean-up.

Soldiers from the Regiment Band are helping with any housing needs in the west end and soldiers from the training company are in the east end helping with any needs within the community."

Lt. Caines added that the Regiment had "practices and prepared for this eventuality", - training that was now paying off.