Hurricane Fabian dealt a severe blow to the East end of the Island yesterday, effectively cutting it off from the rest of Bermuda after the Causeway Bridge was "totalled".

Hundreds of roofs were reported off in St. George's and there had been damage to some of the old town's historic buildings.

Landmark properties - an important part of its World Heritage designation - to be hit by the storm included Bridge House and Buckingham. Part of the Carriage House museum roof was also reported as having been blown away.

Damage in the town centre was extensive enough to warrant the closing off of Water Street and King's Square was roped off.

Nea-Cherri Talbot, who lives above Chick's Bar and Grill on Water Street, said her roof came off during the storm and when that happened she screamed: "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and then we hunkered down," she said.

On the other side of King's Square, Ordnance Island was also battered by high seas and heavy winds. Dan Reardon, who lives in recently renovated Storekeeper's cottage, said that he thought the the Island might not make it through the storm. He said an old sea wall had given way during Fabian letting floods of water wash across the small island connected to the square by a bridge: "During the height of the storm I was watching the wall being eaten away, waves were pulling away the sea wall and were then coming towards the house. At one point I thought Ordnance Island was not going to be here (after the storm)," he said, adding that angry storm waves came within ten feet of his house.

There was extensive damage to other areas of the East end as well with The Royal Gazette's Neil Ward calling in a first-hand report from the Causeway which he said could now not be passed by motor traffic: "The pavement at the east end (of the bridge) is buckled and lifted. In effect, the entire east end of the bridge has washed away," he said, adding that there may be enough of the bridge left for pedestrians to be able to walk across.

The devastation to the strategic bridge - the only land link from the rest of the Island to the airport, St. George's and St. David's - was cited by politician and business Kenneth Bascome as a blow to the Island's ailing tourism industry: "The Island itself will basically have to close down as far as tourism is concerned. The storm is the most devastating I have ever seen," said the UBP candidate narrowly defeated after he stood in St. George's during last month's general election.

Outside of the main town centre, St. George's Club was reported as having damage to as many as a dozen of its units and roads around the Club and golf course were "impassable". The closed-down Club Med property also suffered from the storm, with most of the windows on the southwest side of the building having been blown out.

Fabian also put paid to plans for Island schools to re-open for 2003-2004 school year on Monday, and it was not clear when St. George's primary school students would be back in class with reports that buildings at St. George's Preparatory School had been "demolished".

In addition, the fast ferry dock in St. George's was reportedly washed out.

Buildings and projects at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR) was also affected by Fabian with the Aquaculture project - BBSR's scallop farm - being "wiped out and lots of water damage in the main hall".

BBSR associate scientist Andrew Peters, who arrived in Bermuda from the UK in February, told The Royal Gazette: "I hope this will be my first and last hurricane. It looks like we got off fairly easily personally but the bio station took some damage."

There were also reports of looting in St. George's with a member of the volunteer fire brigade, who did not wish to be named, saying that both the Trimingham's branch and Robertson's pharmacy having been broken into and stolen from during the night.