TROPICAL Storm Juan was expected to batter the island with winds gusting up to 55 miles per hour today, three weeks to the day since Hurricane Fabian left a trail of destruction throughout the island.

As a result, the Government yesterday decided to close the Causeway to traffic from 11.30 p.m. last night. The link road between St. George's and the rest of the island remained open until 12 noon on Friday as the Ministry of Works & Engineering carried out regular inspections to determine whether the Causeway could remian open for longer.

In addition, ferry services were cancelled today and all flights have been cancelled to and from Bermuda Airport.

All East End schools were be closed.

A Government statement last night urged residents to secure tarpaulins and any objects that could be blown about by the high winds.

Acting Public Safety Minister Terry Lister said the measures were designed to prevent people from coming to any harm and said: "We are asking the public to bear with us, recognising that the closure of the Causeway will be inconvenient to many who reside in the East End."

Forecasters at the Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) issued a tropical storm warning yesterday afternoon and predicted that the storm would pass 125 nautical miles to our east at its closest point at between 8 and 9 a.m.

Tropical storm force winds extend 100 miles from the centre of the weather system and so depending on whether the storm takes the expected path, the island could get sustained winds of 40 mph gusting up to 55 mph, as well as heavy rain and thunderstorms.

BWS meteorologist James Morrison said yesterday: "Ideally, we will be just on the edge of the storm, but because of how fragile the island is after Fabian, we decided to issue the tropical storm warning as a precautionary measure.

"The system formed very quickly to our south in the same way as Hurricane Karen formed right over us two years ago, on the back side of a frontal system."

Mr. Morrison said Juan was not expected to become a hurricane, though it was strengthening throughout yesterday.

"The National Hurricane Centre do not expect it to become a hurricane, but they are sending a plane out to it tonight to get more data and that plane may stop off in Bermuda," Mr. Morrison said."Their wind speed data is currently based on satellite data and the information from the plane will be more accurate."

Mr. Morrison highlighted one welcome legacy of Fabian that the island will be grateful for today.

"Conditions are not ideal for Juan to become a hurricane, because there is some wind shear and also the water temperature is much cooler than when Fabian came through," Mr. Morrison said.

"That is because Fabian sucked up the warm water and drew up cooler water to the surface and left an area of slightly cooler water around us."