- At least one dead as Hurricane Beryl batters Caribbean
- Thousands are without power or shelter in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and St Lucia
- Beryl is now a Category 5 storm and heading towards Jamaica
- The storm is expected to reach southeast Mexico by the end of the week
At least one dead as Hurricane Beryl batters Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl has caused significant damage in the Caribbean, resulting in at least one death. Thousands are without power or shelter in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and St Lucia.
Now a Category 5 storm, Beryl is heading west towards Jamaica and is expected to reach southeast Mexico by the end of the week. Social media images show homes with roofs blown off and residents searching through rubble for their belongings.
In Grenada, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell described Carriacou Island as “flattened” within half an hour of the hurricane’s landfall. St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Premier Ralph Gonsalves reported one death and warned of possible more fatalities.
Airports and businesses were shut down, and residents were urged to seek shelter before the storm hit. Power outages in Grenada have disrupted communications and access to updates.
The hurricane’s winds are near 150 mph (241 km/h), with Jamaica under a hurricane watch, expecting conditions to worsen by Wednesday. Prime Minister Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines urged people to take the storm seriously, recalling past hurricane devastations.
Beryl was upgraded to a Category 4 after briefly weakening. The NHC warned that the Windward Islands, especially St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, should prepare for potentially catastrophic wind damage.
Hurricane Beryl in St Vincent. pic.twitter.com/ETMTHlRCzM
— Don🇯🇲 (@Donperry) July 2, 2024
Hurricane shelters opened Sunday evening, and authorities have issued states of emergency and national shutdowns, urging schools and businesses to close.
The NOAA warned of up to seven major hurricanes this year, attributing the increase to record-high sea surface temperatures. Meteorologists noted Beryl’s rapid development from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in just 42 hours, emphasising the storm’s unusual intensity.