Wild winds of up to 115kph, the strongest ever recorded in the area, swept through the shire leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

The gale force winds uprooted trees, sheared roofs from homes and ripped down more than 100 powerlines, causing a massive power blackout that could leave some homes in the dark until Friday.

Late yesterday afternoon Integral was still trying to restore power to 927 homes in the worst hit areas of Mittagong, Moss Vale and Robertson.

Amid the chaos, schools from Glenquarry to Mittagong were forced to turn students away while more than a dozen roads were blocked by fallen trees.

The power cut also drained Highlands businesses with many left with no option but to close their doors on Monday.

And it was all hands on deck for emergency crews as police, fire brigades, the State Emergency Service (SES) and Integral Energy rallied together to help with the mammoth clean up operation.

The SES was inundated with around 250 calls for help and the Rural Fire Service also attended 250 jobs.

Mobile and landline phone service was interrupted while Telstra's Bowral Exchange felt the full force of the storm with its roof torn off and carried into Corbett Gardens and beyond.

Police reported a number of minor accidents caused by the near-cyclonic conditions and debris on the roads.

Bowral Hospital said four elderly people had to be rushed to casualty because their breathing apparatus could not operate during the black out.

Experts claim the overall damage bill could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Insurance advisors have warned policy holders to closely examine their terms and conditions if they intend to claim for damages.