AS hurricane winds of up to 160mph batter much of the Caribbean, one Preston youth worker is counting his blessings that he was not caught up in the catastrophe -- and worrying about those he left behind.

Mark Tyers, 19, of Fishwick View, returned home from Grenada just a week before Hurricane Ivan lashed the island, flattening everything in its path, and killing dozens of people.

Mark had been on a six-month trip working in the capital, St George's, with youths aged seven to 22.

Since the hurricane struck -- the first to hit the island in half-a-century -- just over a fortnight ago, Mark has been told the roof of the house he stayed in has been ripped away and the top floor completely destroyed, including the room where he slept.

Even the island's Constantine Methodist Church -- where Mark taught sex education and helped raise awareness about Aids and teenage pregnancy -- did not escape the clutches of 'Ivan' and was completely wiped out.

"It's scary when I think about it, it doesn't seem real," said Mark. "When I'm watching or reading about it, and see the photographs, it's really strange to think that I was there.

"It's quite possible that people I met, friends I've made, have been killed in the hurricane. It's awful."

Since Grenada, the hurricane has caused widespread destruction across Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba, and 60 people have been killed.

"The people over there always got excited about the weather but they didn't seem too worried because it had been so long since a hurricane had hit," said Mark.

But, he claims, the unpredictable weather will not put a stop to future overseas trips.

"I wish I could go back and help but I know they really need skilled workmen, like plumbers and electricians," said Mark, who starts a geography degree course at Manchester Metropolitan University on Monday.