Battered Jersey deals with Storm Ciarán aftermath

The clear-up from Storm Ciarán is continuing in Jersey after the island was battered by strong winds and rain.

Schools closed for a second day, while repairs were carried out so the airport could reopen at midday. Flights restarted at about 14:20 GMT.

A tornado and strong winds lashed the island on Wednesday night, with dozens of people evacuated from their homes.

Chief Minister Kristina Moore said the government was focused on ensuring people had shelter and were safe.

She said: "It's really clear certain areas of the island have really been hit hard this time and the damage is very significant.

"We've all seen footage of some really serious damage that has been done but it will take some time to be able to assess all of that."

The government asked any islanders planning to return to their properties and assess damage should only return "if it is absolutely safe to do so".

"For properties that have sustained significant damage, we strongly advise seeking the opinion of a property surveyor or structural engineer before entering and or trying the collect belongings," it said.

Walking down Queen St today you could be forgiven for thinking that the greatest storm for 35 years had missed St Helier entirely.

The shops are bustling, groups of children enjoying another day off school dodge between the benches and the sun glistens warmly off the big glass windows of department stores. You have to look very closely to see the fragments of slate and small branches that have been left after the clean-up this morning.

But just a few streets away, on the outskirts of town, it's a different story. A huge tree leans drunkenly against a block of flats. Piles of chainsawed branches are piled haphazardly on pavements and driveways, after the workmen cleared them out of the road to allow traffic to pass before moving on to the next blockage.

Drivers take it in turn to slalom around the trunks which have been left sticking out into the road. Mothers struggle with their children's pushchairs over pavements that are strewn with debris and slick with wet leaves.

At Les Quennevais, I saw members of the Petanque Club inside their clubroom, adorned with trophies and books, staring forlornly up at the sky through what's left of the roof.

People gather in knots to discuss what happened and tell their tales of lost tiles, broken windows and collapsed walls. They all say it's been a time of unity, when neighbours have turned out to help with wheelbarrows, saws or just cups of tea.

Strong wind is a regular feature of island life. But in 30 years of broadcasting, I've never had to use the words tornado or hurricane in a story about Jersey before.

Jersey Electricity said restoring power to some customers "may take several days" due to the number of overhead lines brought down by the storm.

Jersey's library, youth service and Skills Jersey are to remain closed alongside the island's schools "to allow services to clear roads and to assess school sites".

All Jersey Heritage sites, apart from La Houge Bie, will open to the public from Saturday.

Liberty Bus said it hoped to run as many services as it could after all routes were suspended on Thursday.

Work is continuing to restore services to about 600 islanders who were left without a landline telephone, as well as mobile phone users who were also affected.

Jersey Post said it would reopen its offices at Rue des Pres and Broad Street, which were were closed on Thursday because of the storm.

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