Bermuda is currently being lashed by howling gusts of 68 miles per hour as it comes under siege from Hurricane Igor.

Reports of damage to trees, boats and properties have been coming thick and fast with Igor just 56 nautical miles west-south-west away from the Island at 9 p.m.

Some St. George’s residents say they’ve seen tornadoes, but these have not been confirmed so far.

At 9 p.m., there have been no reports of serious injuries as a direct result of Igor.

Sustained winds at L.F. Wade International Airport were 45 knots (52 mph) at 8.55 p.m., while gusts were 59 knots (68 mph).

Bermuda Weather Service’s 9 p.m. forecast said Igor’s closest point of contact to Bermuda would be 47 nautical miles to the west at 10 p.m. It is currently moving north at 12 knots (14 mph).

Igor’s sustained winds are now 65 knots (75 mph) with gusts of 85 knots (98 mph), meaning it has weakened slightly during the day and remains a Category 1 hurricane.

More than half the Island is without power, but more than 7,000 people are currently keeping up-to-date through The Royal Gazette’s Follow It Live feature. To access, click this link: http://www.royalgazette.com/rg/section.jsp?sectionId=3

Among them are St. George’s resident Lucinda Spurling, who told The Royal Gazette: "We have trees down and our house is starting to flood.There is also a sail boat that has broken free and on the rocks at the eastern side of Stoke’s Point."

East End resident Mike Tucker said: "Over here by the old St George’s club course the winds are pounding a few trees down."

One woman from Cut Road, St. George’s, giving her name as Sarah, said at 7 p.m.: "Winds are really pounding now. Although the rain has subsided a little, bits of tree are starting to appear in our garden."

Fierce winds are being reported across the Island, with this newspaper’s photographer Mark Tatem saying from his Devonshire home: "I’ve just had a couple of trees fly past the window."

Gusts outside the Fairmont Princess in Hamilton have picked up noisily in the past two hours.

The Causeway shut at 10.15 a.m. with tornadic winds predicted in the East End.

Belco called back all its crew during the afternoon as a safety precaution – leaving thousands of people without power.

Belco spokeswoman Susan McGrath-Smith said: "As of 8 p.m., Hurricane Igor’s winds continue to take a toll on the electricity distribution system with approximately 21,000 customers without power across the Island.

"Belco has 40 circuits out, as well as many branch lines and numerous single outages Island-wide. Belco has approximately 35,500 customers."

Belco's plant will continue to generate power throughout the storm.

Flooding has been reported in Pembroke, particularly 42nd Street, Woodlands Road and Dutton Avenue, while waves on the South Shore are so intense that there’s no sand to be seen on some of the beaches and there’s severe flooding at the front of Boaz Island.

This morning, Bermuda Regiment said it was deploying a 20-person specialist unit across to the East to provide medics, radio specialists and a chainsaw team.

Residents of that part of the Island can also use the Lambe Foggo Urgent Care Centre.

Major George Jones told The Royal Gazette winds were high at Warwick Camp, which is a "hive of activity".

"The specialist team heading across the Causeway will lead other Regiment troops living in the East if a full embodiment is required," said Major Jones this morning.

"Should all other means of communication go down, we have a wholly self-contained radio system and will be able to communicate with the troops in St. George's."

Yesterday, Premier Ewart Brown called for Bermudians to unite as they face the threat of the storm, described by Public Safety Minister David Burch as "probably the worst we have seen".

Progressive Labour Party chairman Anthony Santucci said today: "This is a large and dangerous storm.

"We're poised for a direct hit. I urge all Bermudians to stay indoors and away from windows. Don’t go outside and don't go out on the roads unless it’s an emergency. If you do, you will put yourself and emergency workers in danger. Stay safe."

Igor has repeatedly been likened to the devastating Hurricane Fabian, which claimed four lives and wreaked millions of dollars worth of damage in 2003.

Residents are still being urged to take maximum caution, amid predictions of 50-feet high waves, storm surges endangering shoreline properties, possible tornadoes and road flooding from heavy rainfall.

The Royal Navy's destroyer HMS Manchester is on standby with a helicopter to assess the damage after the hurricane passes, with Police out in force immediately afterwards.

L.F. Wade International Airport closed yesterday afternoon and is expected to reopen tomorrow, while power outages started hitting the Island yesterday.

All public schools will be closed tomorrow and will not open before a full assessment on Tuesday.

As the storm subsides, Islanders are urged to avoid using the roads to explore any damage before the emergency teams make a full assessment.

The Emergency Broadcast station at 100.1 FM is the official source for Hurricane Igor information, while an emergency shelter is in place at CedarBridge Academy.

The Emergency Measures Organisation can be contacted after the storm has passed on 292-6325 or 292-6330.