Columbia County couple stuck in Hurricane Beryl’s path

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — A Columbia County couple will get to see the wrath of Hurricane Beryl close up as they’re vacationing in Jamaica.

Sara and Hayes Clark from Berwick went to a resort in Whitehouse Jamaica to celebrate their fourth anniversary. Now, they’re stuck in the storm’s path.

“We knew the storm was coming. We didn’t know how bad it was gonna be. We really thought earlier in the week it wasn’t gonna be too much,” Sara explained.

After their Berwick home took a minor hit from last week’s storm , the Clarks touched down in tropical Jamaica on Saturday, expecting to spend a week in paradise.

Now, they’re forced to hunker down as Hurricane Beryl begins to barrel through the island.

“We’re gonna be in lockdown on the resort from 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, so 2:00 p.m. til Thursday at some point,” Sara and Hayes said.

As Beryl grew and became more intense Tuesday morning, the Clarks started looking for a way off the island, ending their vacation days ahead of schedule.

“At that point, we were like massively searching for flights,” Sara stated.

But nearby airports were fully booked and set to close at 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

Now their only option is survival and to prepare for lockdown.

The couple says they are feeling a wide range of emotions.

“Could we get stuck here for a very long time? Could we lose power and not have access to food and not have access to water and really be in desperate straits?” Hayes added.

But they say it’s not their first time stuck in a storm.

“The week of Fourth of July as well. Three years ago, we were in St. Lucia for our honeymoon and we had about, I think it was a category one storm that Elsa came through,” Sara continued.

The couple made it out safely, with the hurricane keeping them indoors for only a few hours.

Now, despite the much stronger storm about to target them, they’re choosing to remain positive.

“We had a really nice sunset the other night that was a pleasant surprise. We’re hoping for another one tonight before it gets gloomy and scary but we’re hoping to have another one on Thursday,” Sara and Hayes added.

The Clarks say their resort is actively preparing for the storm and the structure they are staying in is built to withstand a category four hurricane.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.