Robert Hall
BBC News correspondent

The Channel Islands have been badly hit.

This was a storm which actually shook houses.

We drove up a coastal road here in St Ouen, Jersey, last night through a blizzard of foam from off the sea, curtains of spray and flood water.

We couldn't drive up many roads, there were trees down and debris on the road.

There was a big effort at first light to get the roads clear as no-one could get out overnight.

Schools have been disrupted, buses couldn't run and the big clear up is going to take a long time.

Storm Ciaran took nearly two years to clean up and there are concerns here right across the Channel Islands that getting the environment at least back to something like normal could take that long again.

Residents of a block of flats in Guernsey were evacuated on Thursday after the roof was damaged.

One resident said debris fell to the ground.

Image source, Jonathan Smith

A man in the Isles of Scilly says Storm Goretti delivered an intense few hours of extreme weather that downed trees "like matchsticks".

Jonathan Smith - who runs an organic fruit and vegetable farm on St Martin's - says this caused the power to go off overnight, plunging much of the Islands into an eerie darkness.

He says many trees have fallen down in the area as the wind was "really howling" in the early evening yesterday.

"The power went off about 6pm I think. No water, electricity or phone."

He says power came back on at about 08:00 today, and he is now able to get phone signal - but only on the island's mainland.

Trees fallen on houses and cars, boats blown over and a roof blown off a house. These images are among many showing the shocking aftermath of Storm Goretti as it left a trail of destruction in parts of Cornwall.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, 360 Cornwall

Image source, Cornish Pirates

Sarah Lewis
BBC Guernsey

I've been out today since the early hours and went along with tree surgeons in Guernsey.

I think it's fair to say they've had a huge job on their hands, with trees down and blocking roads, and they've been trying to deal with it all while the conditions are still very windy.

There's been a lot of damage caused across the parts of Guernsey I've been to, including the pylons and netting at La Grande Mare Golf Course being damaged.

I think the scale of Goretti can be summed up by the fact there doesn't appear to be enough road closed signs to stop people from driving down affected roads, so motorists are travelling down roads where trees have fallen.

I've also seen cyclists and dog walkers go down roads where trees have fallen and the tree surgeons I was with had to tell them it was too dangerous to go there.

This feels a lot worse than when Storm Ciaran hit us and it doesn't feel like people were expecting that, it's been quite bad.

Alex Akhurst
BBC News

“I'm used to a storm or two…I would say that was the worst I've seen in 30 years."

So says Harry Wilson, who was at his family home in Sennen Cove, west Cornwall, when a rare red weather warning was in place yesterday.

Harry tells me how the strong winds he witnessed in the area caused his windows to bulge, with one having ripped off from the latches.

"There was an hour where I was apprehensive, and I’m a surfer so I’m used to putting myself in danger," he says. "I had to hold on to this window, and couldn't hold it shut."

Harry says lots of locals have had a really hard time, and he's now surveying the community for damage along with supporting his neighbours.

"The house across the road has lost half their roof. It's really brutal.”

A major incident in Jersey has been lifted as officials focus on clean-up and recovery.

An orange wind warning remains in place but Jersey Met says the wind will continue to ease throughout the day and tomorrow.

The Government of Jersey says:

• Teams will continue working to clear roads and paths of fallen trees and debris
• Freight services will arrive tomorrow morning and flights have resumed at the airport
• School bus services are resuming this afternoon, but will not be able to stop on smaller roads due to fallen debris
• Schools will be open as normal on Monday unless you hear from them directly
• Springfield Stadium is closed today due to storm damage and will update members about when it will reopen
• The hospital is open as normal but please only attend the Emergency Department in a genuine emergency
• A dedicated helpline is now live for non-emergency questions related to Storm Goretti. Call 01534 448844 between 07:00 GMT and 17:00 today for assistance. Please report non-emergency issues such as debris or fallen trees down by visiting: https://roadworks.gov.je/EWXPublic/, external or emailing I&E: dfi@gov.je, external

The States of Guernsey has issued an urgent message for anyone who is currently waiting to re-enter their property after being evacuated or displaced last night.

It said it was "using the power of social media in the hope of reaching them all as we don’t have direct contacts, so please share".

"If you don’t know where to go while waiting for more information about accessing your home, please come up to Beau Sejour for a warm place to rest and hot drink in the cafe.

"Work is ongoing to ensure the block of flats in St Peter Port is safe to re-enter, and a fire duty officer and other members of staff will be at Beau Sejour to give residents the latest information.

"Emergency Services and public sector staff worked with local hotels last night to give people somewhere safe to sleep, and are arranging a second night in hotels for those who need it."

Image source, DaveE/BBC Weather Watchers

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

Image source, Anita Bedford

Storm Goretti has brought chaos to roads and railway services, damaged buildings and left tens of thousands without power in the South West and Channel Islands.

If you're just joining us, here's what's happening:

• Thirty schools and colleges in Cornwall are closed today due to the storm, external while 59 schools opened late
• About 40,000 properties are still without power in Devon and Cornwall
• There's severe disruption across Cornwall's roads, external with fallen trees and debris
• A fallen tree broke a gas pipe which prompted the police to evacuate several properties in Grampound
• All trains in Cornwall continue to be suspended with services not expected to start before 16:00, says GWR, external
• All schools are closed in Guernsey and Alderney. Some schools in Jersey, including Le Rocquier and Mont A L'Abbe, opened late

• Two blocks of flats by the Green Lanes in St Peter Port, Guernsey, had to be evacuated
• Falmouth RNLI was scrambled to a number of incidents due to the storm
• Travel to and from the Isles of Scilly has been severely disrupted
• Falmouth and Penryn were one of the worst hit areas with a car crushed by a tree and a garage demolished
• Gusts ripped through the roof of the Cornish Pirates stadium in Penzance
• Damage was also caused to the roof of Truro Cathedral
• Police have reported at least 112 trees down on the roads in Guernsey
• Some elective surgeries scheduled for today at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey have been cancelled
• There has been some damage to pontoons and moorings in Guernsey from the storm
• Storm Goretti left hundreds of Jersey people without power, while clean-up teams are responding to about 86 reports of fallen trees and debris
• The winds destroyed a £13,000 polytunnel used by environmental group Grow Jersey

Sark conseiller Natalie Tighe, who lives on the island's east coast, says everyone survived the night but there is a lot of tree damage.

She says chainsaws were going at 07:00 GMT to clear trees, and emergency services were responding before then.

"It's still quite windy here and I think a lot of the repair work won't happen until the winds have subsided," Tighe says.

Victoria Graham
BBC Spotlight

We have reporters embedded in Cornwall where tens of thousands of people are still without power.

Tamsin Melville is in Falmouth where the carnage is clear to see. A massive tree crashed through one family’s bedroom ceiling during Storm Goretti's ferocious winds.

Johhny Rutherford will be joining us from Penzance where there's also been widespread damage, power failures and trees down.

David Dixon is in St Ives another area badly affected with some roads completely blocked.

We’ll also be live with our reporter Harry Whitehead in Guernsey where residents were evacuated from a block of flats after glass was blown in.

And we shouldn't forget Exeter City is gearing up for it’s FA Cup match against Man City – we'll have a match preview. Watch on BBC One and iPlayer at 13:30.

In Plymouth, several trees felled by Storm Goretti damaged a wall and a property.

Truro Cathedral's roof has been damaged overnight by Storm Goretti, officials have confirmed.

The Chapter House roof has been "severely affected", said the cathedral.

Lead had also been ripped from the cathedral roof, allowing rain into the building and a skylight in the cathedral offices had also been blown out.

"Our thoughts are with everyone who has experienced damage and/or is without power," said a spokesperson.

Image source, Truro Cathedral

George Thorpe
BBC News, South West

Image source, Hugh Bowen

Hugh Bowen said he had a lucky escape after his car crashed into a fallen tree between Launceston and Egloskerry, in Cornwall.

The 30-year-old was driving to work at Davidstow Cheddar when the incident happened at about 06:30 GMT.

"I was just driving down the road and because of the way the tree had fallen, I couldn't see it until I was closer to it," said Bowen, from Launceston.

"The trunk of the tree was low enough to hit the car's roof and top of the windscreen, but it was still above my head level.

"I was shocked when I saw the tree and panicked a bit and hit the brakes as hard as I could, but obviously not hard enough.

"The car's not much use anymore but I'm very lucky as I've managed to walk away with no injuries."

Image source, Hugh Bowen

Perelle resident Doreen Laine told BBC Guernsey the impact of Storm Goretti was "a bit scary".

"The windows were shaking, the waves flying over the house," she says.

"We were awake until the worst of it had passed and the high tide seemed to go on a lot longer than normal.

"I can't see any obvious damage."

Jenny Kumah
BBC South West England Correspondent

Across Cornwall, the clearing up of trees today is a common sight.

Late last night, we arrived at our hotel in St Ives after reporting on the storm and came across a huge fallen tree blocking access to the site. Several hotel staff were unable to drive home and had to stay the night.

We had to park up some distance away and walk to the hotel. In the cold light of day, we saw the destructive power of the storm as tree surgeons spent several hours removing the huge trunk and branches.

The storm may have moved on, but the impact is still ongoing. Some staff at our hotel came into work early because they had no power at home.

Tens of thousands of properties across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are cut off, at the height of the storm 55,000 properties were affected.

Dozens of schools are closed across Cornwall today and public transport services are subject to cancellations and delays.

The storm hitting at night may have meant the impact wasn’t as disastrous as it could have been and many people seem to have heeded the advice to stay at home.

A reminder you can follow to the latest updates on Storm Goretti on BBC Local Radio.

Listen to the news where you are on BBC Radio Cornwall, BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio Jersey and BBC Radio Guernsey.

Springfield Stadium in St Helier says the site's sports centre will remain closed today due to storm damage.

It says in a Facebook post, external: "We will provide further updates as soon as we know the full impact. "Your safety is our priority. We're sorry for any inconvenience."

Bosses at the site have shared a photo showing gym equipment which has blown over and damaged inside the sports centre.

Les Quennevais Sports Centre says it is able to open but the skate park is closed due to debris there.

Image source, Springfield Stadium

The States of Guernsey has confirmed the flats which were evacuated overnight were Maison Haro, Maison de Gru and Maison Brock, which are collectively known as the Mon Plaisir flats.

Advice will follow later for displaced people who have been taken to St Pierre Park Hotel, Premier Inn and Hotel de Havelet, the government says.

Resident Claire Cutler, who is currently at St Pierre Park Hotel and has nothing more than her pyjamas, said she heard an "almighty bang" and realised the roof had come off before it flew over the building and hit a van.

Another resident, Julie Mechem (pictured below), said she was "grateful everyone is OK" and was a "bit in the dark" about what would happen next.

John Merrien, director of the flats, said they received reports of damage from about 20:30 GMT on Thursday.

He said the full extent of the damage was not known yet, but the management firm of the flats was already in conversation with scaffolding companies.