Residents of Seawall Drive in Somerset were mopping up today after huge waves battered their waterfront properties.

Part of the seawall was washed away in its entirety and waves washed over the top of the homes, causing massive floods and ceilings to collapse.

Some eyewitnesses said they believed the area had been struck by a mini-tornado.

Cars one street back away from the ocean were under a significant amount of water as night fell and debris lay strewn across the estate.

But amazingly, this morning, Seawall Drive was one of the few places on the Island where residents still had electricity.

Resident Todd Martin said he could have been evacuated with other residents, but chose to stay, instead. "The waves were going over the house and up against the house," he said.

"We have flooding downstairs and upstairs ceilings have come down.

"I was here during Felix, so I knew what to expect, but this was much worse. But through all of this, I had hot meals and was watching DVDs cos the electricity didn't go. I have some complaints, but I'm going to keep quiet because I'm grateful for that."

And neighbour Susan Sims said: "Obviously, some little twister came through here because it just slammed into his house."

She and husband David waited until 3 p.m. yesterday before deciding to evacuate across Watford Gap bridge to a friend's house.

"Thank God we were in an SUV," she said. "The winds were so fierce. That's why initially I didn't want to leave."

And another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said he had to take refuge in the bathroom at the back of the house as his home filled with four feet of water.

He had also chosen to stay, while his wife and children left, and this morning they were mopping up the mess and assessing the damage.

"The waves were coming into the house and over the house. I was a little scared," he said.

Elsewhere, at the western end of the Island there was widespread damage, both to structures and trees. Many powerlines were brought down and the roofs of a great number of properties were damaged.

St. Michael's Chapel, at Somerset Bridge, had lost part of its roof in the storm and a huge Casuarina tree was blocking the road. As with other parts of the Island, though, people came together to clear the debris as best they could.

Somerset Cricket Club's perimeter wall had collapsed into the road and a fallen palm tree was causing traffic problems on Somerset Road, close to its junction with Cricket Lane.

While many boats in the inlets and bays appeared to have escaped serious damage, there were a number of hulls visible just above the water, and, at Ely's Harbour one householder woke to found he had acquired two new vessels, the pair breaking their moorings before coming to rest against his property.

At dockyard there seemed to be only a few yachts moored in the harbour. However, one onlooker advised we "look into the water".

One boat had actually been launched out of the dock and came to rest on the road just outside of Oleander Cycles.

However, both Daniel's Head Eco Village and Dolphin Quest appeared to have escaped without damage.