Hamilton shopkeepers were out early this morning to survey damage to their shop fronts and clean up what was according to one "a huge mess".

Widespread looting was reported in Hamilton and St. George's as opportunist thieves took advantage of the devastation left by Hurricane Fabian.

The high winds left many homes and businesses across the Island insecure with doorways and windows blown out and alarms rendered inactive.

Alcohol is thought to have been the main target for looters as a number of supermarkets and bars were left the most exposed.

Police in Hamilton were first alerted to the threat around 8 p.m. over their CCTV cameras, which remained operative despite rain and wind hampering their effectiveness.

With many sightseers out on the streets inspecting the damage and taking photos, it is understood Police were threatening anyone outdoors with arrest in order to clear the streets to make protecting the vulnerable streets easier.

Patrols were sent out as a deterrent, with three vehicles on the debris-ridden streets of the capital. They had to cope with multiple punctures and damaged vehicles after a shed partially collapsed on a number of them.

On a late night tour of the city, The Royal Gazette saw all manner of shops from electrical stores to supermarkets and clothes shops to restaurants laying open to attack by those callous to take advantage of the nation's misfortune.

Employees surveyed damage at Front Street shop Guerlain - the perfume and cosmetics store owned by Gibbons Company - after a large window was blown in by the storm.

The shop, filled with shattered glass, was declared a "huge mess" by one sales assistant, who said she did not expect the shop to be open today.

She said Police had called in the early hours of the morning to warn that the store was "completely exposed".

Just down the road, Calypso owner Pierre Dutoya was sweeping water out of his clothing boutique and pointed out roof damage at the back of the building. Happily, Mr. Dutoya had, at that point, not found any serious damage to the goods in his shop despite water flowing into the front of the store during the storm. The Front Street entrance to Trimingham's was also under water, but company president Lawrence Trimingham told The Royal Gazette there had been no damage inside the store. It was not known whether or not there had been any damage next door at H.A.&E. Smith's, recently bought out by Trimingham's.

Mr. Trimingham added that the company's warehouse at Mills Creek had suffered some roof damage in the hurricane: "The roof is mostly intact but the waterproofing has lifted in some areas. We don't know the extent of the damage, but presume that some of our inventory in the warehouse will be water damaged," he said.

Meanwhile, an awning at Barracuda Grill and Hog Penny Pub and Restaurant had been blown up the hill to the next block of Burnaby Hill, and was wrapped around a lamp post outside the LOM Building.

Back on Front Street, staff members outside jewellery shop Astwood & Dickinson breathed a sigh of relief after surveying the property and finding no real damage. But the street itself was a wreck of twisted and downed traffic lights, alarms were going off in numerous buildings along the way, while the large Corporation of Hamilton trash cans had been thrown into the road and against buildings.

Towards the Eastern end of Front Street, a trailer office on the docks had been overturned and containers had been tossed into the road.

And management at Docksiders Pub and Restaurant surveyed a window that had been completely blown in, while another window threatened to give way. Court Street appeared to have suffered less damage in the storm than other parts of Hamilton although the Sun Sing restaurant on the corner of Court and Victoria streets was an exception.

Manager Kevin Lim showed The Royal Gazette damage to the building sustained during Fabian, including a demolished gate, damage to security lights, and the twisted remains of a roof top satellite. The glass had also been blown off the pressure gauge of the restaurant's water pump, and Mr. Lim was unclear on when the eatery would be ready to re-open today.