Tropical Storm Fay Brushes Bermuda, Leaving Damage and Thousands Without Power

Tropical Storm Fay brought down power lines, damaged buildings and uprooted trees as it passed over Bermuda Sunday morning. The ferocity of the storm, which escalated quickly on Sunday morning, took many Bermuda residents by surprise.

"I've never seen anything like it in my 82 years," Spanish Port resident Charles Rebello told the Royal Gazette. "I thought it was going to be an ordinary wind, but it turned into much more. Trees were bent double. All kinds of trees were coming down. It’s going to take me weeks to clean it up."

According to Bermuda Electric Light Company, around 27,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm. The company asked residents to withhold calls for several hours so that crews can restore power as quickly as possible.

(MORE: Tropical Storm Fay Forecast)

Fay also reduced the field of a pro-am at the PGA Tour's Grand Slam of Golf, according to Golfweek.com. A plane carrying people tied to the golf tournament was forced to turn around and fly back to Atlanta when Bermuda International Airport had to be closed due to flooding. The tournament will now have 40 players instead of 60, the report added.

Several roads on the island are blocked due to downed trees and debris and officials are urging residents to stay off the roads until crews are able to clear them. Two cruise ships that were scheduled to dock in Bermuda today have been delayed.

The island archipelago of Bermuda has 65,000 inhabitants and enforces strict building codes to ensure that homes and buildings can withstand bad weather, the Associated Press reports.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Tropical Storm Fay