Families with loved ones in Jamaica could only hope and pray last night as Hurricane Dean ripped through the island leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

As the Category Four storm raged across the western Caribbean with winds of 145 mph, there were reports of roofs being blown off houses in Kingston, felled trees, torrential rain, flooding and mudslides.

Described by some meteorologists as one of the most destructive storms in recent history, Dean was expected to unleash 20 inches of rain on Jamaica with "potentially catastrophic" results. The National Hurricane Centre in Miami yesterday warned that a direct hit could bring flash floods and mudslides, to lethal effect.

As Jamaica reels from the aftermath today, the low-lying Cayman Islands are next on Dean's hit list. The hurricane is expected to intensify into a Category Five storm, reaching the British Overseas Territory this evening before tearing across Mexico's Yucatan peninsula tomorrow.

In Jamaica, the Bermuda national squash team were among those stranded in the darkness. Nick Kyme, Richard Van Liendon, Patrick Foster, Melrindo Caines and Michael Shrubb arrived on the Island nine days ago for the Senior CASA Squash Championships and had reached the semi-finals before nature vented her full fury.

The team turned up at the courts on Friday to find their opponents Trinidad and Tobago had been flown home by their government the previous evening. The players headed to the airport where they spent the next two days trying to get a flight home.

Last night they were holed up in the Liguanea Club hotel in New Kingston with four or five other guests and a cook.

The team were reported to be in "good spirits" but have no money, due to ATM machines on the island being switched off to prevent looting. They are, however, in touch with British High Commissioner Gill Binnie, herself a member of the Jamaican squash team.

One of the Jamaican players, Warren Burrowes, also helped them by picking them up at the airport when it closed up on Saturday.

Mr. Kyme's mother Denise said last night: "The final flight was last (Saturday) night with Air Jamaica and then they closed down the airport. They were 59th on the standby list.

"The important thing is they are sticking together and there are some very nice families keeping an eye on them. The Liguanea Club is also a very solid, old colonial building and is away from the water."

Mrs. Kyme, 54, of North Shore, said the players' families and girlfriends were keeping each other updated whenever they received a text message.

"If anyone gets a text message we contact each other and so try to prevent the boys from wasting their cell batteries," she said. Mr. Kyme, a 26-year-old trainee broker with Marsh, is Mrs. Kyme's only son. Last night she said the families were confident about their sons' safety but there were concerns about looting. I don't think anyone is too worried as they are all sensible young men, but we are concerned about their safety afterwards, as Jamaica can be not a particularly safe place. We are concerned about looting, but hopefully they will stay together and be careful." She said the team had a confirmed flight home on Friday, but even that might not happen. "The airport is right on the water at the worst possible spot for the hurricane to hit so we just don't know whether there will be flooding and widespread damage," said Mrs. Kyme. Last night her son texted her to say that a window had blown in at the hotel and his teammates were preparing for the full onslaught of the hurricane, with heavy winds and rain. Dean is the second traumatic event of the last few days for Mrs. Kyme - on Friday a burglar broked into her home, stealing a camera and jumping out of a window to escape from Police. It's not been a very good week," she admitted. "However we've all been through hurricanes so know what to expect. I'm certainly concerned, but I don't think they will put themselves in danger. They are in a safe building and when I last contacted Nick they were all in good spirits." Mr. Kyme's girlfriend Samantha Adams, a 29-year-old lawyer from Pembroke, added: "I'm a little worried, but Nick and the others have been through storms before so I am confident they will be alright." Eve Paterson, the fiancee of Patrick Foster, said: "We were told yesterday that it could end up being a Category Five storm, which is terrifying, so it's been quite stressful the last few days." Miss Paterson, 27, of Warwick, said: "They have felt frustrated and abandoned at not being able to get a flight but now they just have to get through it. Patrick is worried because it's such a huge storm but he is philosophical about it all." Roger Sherratt, spokesman for the Bermuda Squash Raquets Association, said: "The team are having a few problems because all the power has been turned off, but we are confident they are in good hands. The Jamaican players are looking after them and the Liguanea Club is a very old, sturdy building. They are as safe as they can be, however they are going to have to bunker down and ride out the storm for a few days. "We wish them the very best."

Do you know anyone stranded or affected by Hurricane Dean? Email: adale@royalgazette.bm