By The Royal Gazette staff

Published Oct 18, 2014 at 3:42 am (Updated Oct 18, 2014 at 9:48 am)

Large areas of the Island’s roads are blocked by fallen trees and downed poles.

Barely a road is passable and the public should stay indoors to allow emergency crews to clear up, Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva told the Emergency Broadcast Station at 7.30am.

Three boats have run aground at Mullet Bay, St Georges, while the left side of the old recycling plant off Devon Spring Road is destroyed.

The Causeway appears to be mostly intact although a few walls have come down on the St George’s side. Police and the Regiment were on the Causeway from 8am assessing the damage and the Causeway remained closed at 9.30am.

The exterior of the airport appears to be fine, initial reports suggest.

The Regiment were on Front Street at 8.30am clearing the roads. The large tree outside the Ferry Terminal on Front Street has come down and flooding has been reported in the area of Victor Scott School.

Cedar Avenue by Victoria Park was still blocked at 9.50am.

A giant tree has come down on Reid Street near the Armoury Building and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has sustained minor damage, while a downed power line is blocking North Shore Road near Flatts.

Police Headquarters at Prospect has suffered minor roof damage, while a speed monitor has come down near the Arboretum.

A tree and utility pole have come down at Clifton, near the US Consulate, and gas pumps have been damaged at the gas station at the Crawl.

Part of the roof of the House of Assembly has come away.

Shutters at the Robin Hood Pub and Restaurant in Pembroke and a portion of their outdoor seating area’s ceiling have come down.

Roads blocked include Trimingham Road — where a massive tree has come down — South Road by the Botanical Gardens, North Shore Road by Inghams Vale, Orange Valley, Middle Road by Warwick Academy, South Road by Coral Beach and Elbow Beach, Grape Bay, St David’s Lighthouse, North Shore Road by Brighton Hill, Middle Road near Granaway Heights and Middle Road near Ornamental Ironworks.

The Railway Trail is being used for emergency vehicles only.

Residents are urged to stay indoors when the winds ease to allow the emergency services to clear the debris and reach those in urgent need.

More updates to come as soon as possible. [GO TO ROYAL GAZETTE WEBSITE: http://www.royalgazette.com/]

For more on this story go to:

http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20141018/NEWS/141019705

Related story:

8.30am update: Gonzalo now 190 miles to north

The streets of Hamilton that are normally filled with rush-hour traffic and pedestrians are deserted as Hurricane Gonzalo heads towards Bermuda. Gonzalo is expected to make a direct hit this evening at about 7pm as a Category 3 hurricane.

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• House of Assembly roof among damage Island-wide
• Roads blocked and serious damage Island-wide
• 28,850 without power this morning
• Gonzalo passes — now 270 miles to our north

Hurricane Gonzalo is now hundreds of miles away from the Island, according to Bermuda Weather Service’s 9am update.

The storm is 190 miles off Bermuda and travelling north-northeast at 22 miles per hour.

Banded showers associated with Gonzalo are moving away to our north,” the BWS said.

Drier air and more settled conditions will build in as winds continue to decrease through the day.

“The last feeder rain band of Hurricane Gonzalo has now passed over Bermuda,” the BWS said.

Gusty winds of 35mph were expected to decrease during the morning, easing to 17-23mph in the afternoon.

“Conditions will be mainly dry for the rest of today, which will help greatly in restoration efforts,” the BWS said. “Dangerous sea conditions persist with waves reaching 15-25 feet but will further decrease to 8-14 ft overnight.”

After a lull during the eye between about 9.30-10.30pm last night, strong winds again battered Bermuda as the Island faced the second half of Hurricane Gonzalo.

According to the US-based National Hurricane Centre, as of midnight the centre of the Category 2 storm was about 35 miles north-east of the Island.

For more on this story go to: http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20141017/NEWS/141019748

UPDATE:

CITN/Cayman27 are reporting:

British warship

HMS Argyll is now in to Bermuda to provide disaster relief assistance after Hurricane Gonzalo. The the Royal Navy warship was recently in Cayman.

The Type 23 Frigate has been on counter narcotics patrols in the Caribbean. But the ship has been called for by the Bermuda government in the wake of the hurricane to provide emergency assistance.

HMS Argyll was built in the late 1980s at the Yarrow Yard in Scotstoun on the Clyde in Scotland she was commissioned in 1991.

Logic

Logic in the Cayman Islands has offered assistance to its sister and parent companies, which are located in Bermuda. “We are ready to help. Right now damage assessment is underway. Many roads are inaccessible, but our Bermuda team will report back to us as soon as possible. The results will determine what we do next,” said Chief Operating Officer Lewie Hydes.

CUC

Grand Cayman’s Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) told Cayman 27 News that CARILEC has been advised a 4 man crew is on standby. The Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation (CARILEC) is an association of electric utilities, suppliers, manufactures and other stakeholders operating in the electricity industry in the Caribbean.

For more: http://www.cayman27.com.ky/2014/10/18/help-on-the-way-for-bermuda