to deliver the damage and destruction it had threatened before it swept past Bermuda yesterday.

Forecasters originally feared that the eye of the hurricane would come within 60 nautical miles of the Island, bringing with it winds of more than 100 mph by yesterday afternoon.

But late on Monday night Gert was downgraded from a Category Three storm to Category Two, with sustained winds of about 95 knots.

And by yesterday morning it was clear that Gert would curl past Bermuda about 120 miles to the east of the Island, its hurricane force winds extending just 90 miles out from Gert's centre.

The Bermuda Weather Service confirmed that the Island was buffeted by winds of just 50 knots, with occasional gusts up to 64 knots.

But Harbour Radio, with recording equipment located at the top of a 200-foot mast in St. George's, recorded sustained winds of 60 to 70 knots and one gust of 96 knots.

The high winds also created pounding surf and waves outside the reef of up to 28 feet high. But the torrential rain that had been forecast failed to materialise.

"It's been a pretty rough day although not as bad as it could have been and we have fared fairly well,'' Mark Guishard of the Bermuda Weather Service said. "Gert's nearest point of approach was 118 nautical miles to the east around 1 p.m. with a position of 31.7 degrees north, 62.5 degrees west.

"This morning we recorded winds of 64 knots which is just hurricane strength.'' Despite its dwindling force, Gert did cause some major problems, including Island-wide power outages, road blockages, burst water pipes and structural damage and flooding to a number of buildings. Last night the cost of the damage and the subsequent clean-up operation had still not been calculated.

Debris littered the Island's roads while whole stretches of beach were washed away by heavy storm surges.

Winds began picking up in the early hours of yesterday morning, when the first of a catalogue of power outages hit homes on the outskirts of Hamilton.

Some 12,000 homes across the Island lost their power supply at some time during the day, although the vast majority were reconnected by yesterday afternoon.

It was the East End and South Shore that bore the brunt of Gert.

By yesterday morning, a mile of road running parallel to Clearwater Beach in St. George's had disappeared, buried under a mountain of rocks, sand and tree trunks whipped up by the crashing surf. The breakwater next to the Airport was also displaced, swept up onto the road by huge sea swells.

On the beach itself a dozen casuarina trees were uprooted while a huge saltwater lake, complete with fish, formed in the adjacent play park.

A number of seaside homes were evacuated, although a Police spokesperson later confirmed that the emergency shelter set up at CedarBridge Academy was not used.

Hurricane Gert spares Bermuda Three American families were forced to flee their home on South Road near Tucker's Town in the early hours of yesterday after huge waves caused the garden and outside walls on two floors of the property to collapse into Sam Hall's Bay.

A number of hotel beaches, including Elbow Beach, The Reefs and Sonesta Beach were wrecked by shifting sands and tossed debris while several cottages at the Pink Beach Club in Hamilton Parish were flooded.

Police later confirmed that the East End suffered "sustained significant sea damage'', notably John Smith's Bay and the Natural Arches. A natural arch at Stonehole Bay, Warwick, also took a battering.

They also reported that three roads -- Parsons Lane in Devonshire, a stretch of South Road in Smith's Parish, and the road leading to Clearwater Beach -- had to be closed because of obstructive debris.

"But the Causeway remained intact and there were no reports of any hurricane-associated injuries,'' a Police spokeswoman said.

Even after Gert had reached its closest point of approach yesterday afternoon, forecasters were staying cautious and a hurricane warning remained in effect throughout the day.

Shops and businesses remained closed and the vast majority of people seemed to have heeded Police advice and remained in their homes and stayed off the roads.

But Police did receive reports of swimmers on several beaches as well as storm watchers walking along cliff edges.

"Police can only re-emphasise the extreme danger in which persons are placing themselves,'' the Police spokeswoman said.

"We've had reports of rocks on the road, trees down and poles sparking,'' the spokeswoman added. "But as the CPA is some 100 nautical miles to our east, the northwest sector of the hurricane has missed the Island per se and impacting more on our marine area, which is good news.'' The hurricane warning was finally called off around about 6 p.m. with Gert no longer a threat.

Summing up the Island's sense of relief, Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Paula Cox last night said: "Bermuda is very fortunate, very blessed and we had a narrow escape.''