Government official said yesterday.

The warning, from assistant Tourism director Mrs. Carol Wills, comes after a forecast of increased hurricane danger this year.

Mrs. Wills said she was worried after attending an international hurricane conference last week.

"I don't think that Bermuda is prepared for a Hurricane Andrew,'' she said.

"We have not had a major, major hurricane in probably 20 to 40 years and that's the thing that worried me the most.

"We have a very good emergency set-up and we handled Emily, but I don't think we're ready for a biggie.'' Hurricane Emily hit the Island in 1987, injuring more than 70 people and causing $50 million worth of damage. It was a category one hurricane - the weakest of five categories.

Andrew hit Florida, Louisiana and the Bahamas last year, killing 55 people and leaving 250,000 homeless. It was in category four.

Mrs. Wills was part of a Bermuda team of seven at the conference in Orlando, Florida last week.

The team included representatives from Police, hotels, the Red Cross and Government departments.

Most were sent by the Island's emergency measures organisation (EMO), a disaster-readiness group chaired by deputy Governor Mr. John Kelly.

Accounts of the effects of Andrew made a tremendous impression at the conference, said Mrs. Wills.

"If the US is not prepared for this and has a hard time handling it, we would have a hard time,'' she said.

"We just lost 25 roofs in one little tornado. Imagine what would happen if we had a hurricane that went on for four or five hours at 160 m.p.h. There wouldn't be a roof left on the Island.

"We are well prepared for most of the normal run of emergencies but I think we all had the feeling we're not ready for a catastrophic disaster like Andrew.'' Government had to improve public awareness and encourage planning, she said.

Island is unprepared "There isn't an alert system in Bermuda. Emily came early in the morning and everybody was asleep.

"Down in the islands they have sirens. Bermuda houses are strong by and large, but there are other things we can do to make them safer.

"How many people really do have storm shutters on their sliding glass doors? I bet there's not that many.'' People also needed to trim foliage to protect light poles, she said. At the meeting delegates heard forecasts from hurricane expert Dr. Bill Gray, Mrs.

Wills said.

"If the predictions are anything to go by -- and they have been accurate in the past -- we can expect to see a much greater level of storm activity in the next 20 years.'' Mr. Lowdru Robinson, director of Community and Cultural Affairs and the EMO's disaster preparedness coordinator, was also at the conference.

He said: "I think there is a tendency in Bermuda to think that Emily was the major experience, but not only was it a small hurricane, it didn't last very long.

"It's probably true that there is still work to be done in terms of making the community aware of the biggest possible storm.

"Preparedness is a relative condition. As you learn about new things you can do, you need to take a look and see if it's possible to implement them.'' Better ways to reinforce roofs could be examined, and people needed to make sure they are insured.

"In terms of the EMO, there is certainly a very good team put together to respond to disasters. Perhaps we may need a little more work in terms of drills and exercises.

"We haven't had a major incident since Emily and sometimes you can get a little bit rusty.'' Mr. Robinson said preparations for a worst-possible incident would be discussed at the EMO's annual pre-hurricane season meeting on Friday.

Miss Susie Wainwright, manager of the Bermuda Hotel Association, went to the conference out of interest.

"It was an eye-opener, big-time,'' she said. By and large, she felt, Bermuda was prepared for a disaster. But it still had a way to go.

She called for the BHA to have a higher priority on the list of people to be notified of an emergency, and for hotels to be represented on the EMO.