Battered but unbowed — that was The Royal Gazette’<$>s headline after Hurricane Florence shut down the island in the middle of September.

Around 25,000 homes and businesses were left without power while the airport closed during the onslaught which caught Premier Alex Scott off the island and scrambling to get back.

Acting Premier Ewart Brown said: “Bermuda has been tested and came through with flying colours.”

That was the spin but the storm revealed some less pleasant aspects of Bermudian society.

A spate of lootings and burglaries at the storm’s height incurred the wrath of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Derrick Burgess.

Seven commercial properties and one private home were hit while 100-mph winds raged.

Mr. Burgess fumed: “It’s deplorable. I’m sure the courts will deal them an appropriate punishment.”

Florence again revealed the vulnerability of overhead power lines with Belco trotting out the usual lines about the problems of undergrounding every line which would cost $300 million and take a decade to complete.

Two days after the storm Belco revealed frustrated householders left without power had been threatening Belco staff personally and make abusive phone calls.

Florence is also blamed for a leaking gym roof at the new Berkeley.

Indeed roof damage was the theme to Florence’s visit — a tornado took part of the roof off Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller’s Southampton home while Surf Side Beach Club also suffered that fate with the debris nearly crushing neighbour Stan Francis.

The Causeway, breached with fatal results in the 2003’s Hurricane Fabian, is damaged again — requiring single lane traffic in one section.