The people of New York have been told that Bermuda is open for business and recuperating well following the destruction of Hurricane Fabian.

Travel writer Terry Trucco wrote a lengthy piece in the Sunday edition of the New York Times after a post-Fabian visit to the Island.

He said there was still much evidence of the category three hurricane on every street and corner, not least the brown, bare trees and tarpaulin roofs, but he said the Island had been back up and running just two days after the big hit.

Mr. Trucco commented on The Royal Gazette's photograph depicting motorboat Tiptoe, which had crashed into a deserted guest room at the Sonesta Beach Hotel, landing in a puddle of curtains and bedding.

He said it had summed up the wrath of Fabian, which had pummelled the Island with 120-140 mph winds, spawned small tornadoes and unleashed a towering surge of ocean that had doused much of the Island in salt water.

He said: "Indeed, while parts of the Island look battered, notably the charming East End Town of St. George's, which was pounded by the surge, visitors can expect a nearly full complement of amenities and activities.

"Taxis are plentiful (if as costly as ever), and the pink public buses are running most routes, as are the ferries.

"Hamilton's fancy clothing and jewellery shops, more upmarket than a decade ago, seem untouched by the storm, and all but a handful of the Island's 77 restaurants are open."

Mr. Trucco said although eight golf courses had lost trees, six had now cleared their debris and reopened. But still closed indefinitely, he said, was the Botanical Gardens and a few tennis courts.

The cruise ships, however, had now returned.

He added: "On an Island that hadn't seen a severe hurricane in 16 years and where gale-force winds typically last three to four hours, Fabian was bigger, nastier and more destructive than anything most Bermudians can recall.

"Yet, they also marvel that Fabian's damage wasn't worse. Though thousands of homes were without electricity for days, in some cases weeks, most large hotels and businesses never lost power. Long distance telephone service, essential now that international business is the major contributor to the country's economy, was quickly restored, aided by linesmen flown in from the Caribbean.

"Residents wielding machetes and chain saws joined Government workers the morning after the storm to clear away fallen trees, enabling several main roads to open shortly after the storm.

"And while the bright blue fluttering atop buildings is testimony to the white roof tiles blown off during the storm, Bermuda's signature sherbet-coloured, with ten-inch thick walls made of concrete and Island limestone, look remarkably untouched."