A pair of honeymooners have been left stranded in Jamaica as the Category 4 Hurricane Beryl barrels towards the Caribbean island.
The storm swept across islands in the southeast Caribbean causing at least seven deaths. American newlyweds Casey and Warner Haley had traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica, but are now trapped in the country.
They had gone to Sangster International Airport (MBJ) at around 12pm Tuesday looking for a way home, but were told that every flight was booked and that the airport was shutting down until further notice. Posting on Facebook, concerned honeymooner Casey wrote: "Warner Haley and I are stuck in Jamaica after a wild trip to an airport that looks like a scene out of a doomsday movie! Thankfully our resort has plans in place and we are prepared and prayerful."
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She added: "Please keep us and all others in its path in your prayers as Hurricane Beryl is scheduled to hit us tomorrow. I’ll update this post when we can, but it is likely we will lose internet/service."
Speaking to CNN, Casey explained they tried to get supplies from a grocery store but locals were in "were in a frenzy as well." They were forced to return to their resort.
Warner said: "So we just had to go back to the resort and buy all the supplies we could from the gift shop. We got chips, water, snicker bars and that’s about it. We’re keeping all the very valuable survival things next to our bags.”
He continued: "Now we got to hunker down for this. We have faith we’ll be taken care of. What’s going to happen is what’s going to happen. We’re just going to do our best and take every precaution we can.”
They estimate that around 200 people may still be stranded at the hotel despite most leaving Monday. Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac are all under a hurricane warning.
Although Beryl is losing intensity, it's predicted to maintain near major-hurricane strength as it approaches Jamaica early Wednesday, nears the Cayman Islands on Thursday, and advances into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Haiti's southern coast and the eastern coast of the Yucatan are under a hurricane watch. Belize has issued a tropical storm watch that extends south from its border with Mexico to Belize City.
Late Monday saw Beryl become the earliest storm to escalate into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, peaking with winds of 165 mph (270 kph) on Tuesday before downgrading to a still-destructive Category 4. Early Wednesday found the storm approximately 250 miles (400 kilometers) east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, boasting top winds of 145 mph (230 kph) and moving west-northwest at 22 mph (35 kph), as reported by the center.
Beryl is anticipated to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica, prompting officials to advise residents in flood-prone areas to prepare for possible evacuation. "I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat," Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged in a public address on Tuesday. "It is, however, not a time to panic."
In Miami, National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan warned that Jamaica seems to be directly in Beryl's path. "We are most concerned about Jamaica, where we are expecting the core of a major hurricane to pass near or over the island," he stated during an online briefing.
"You want to be in a safe place where you can ride out the storm by nightfall (Tuesday). Be prepared to stay in that location through Wednesday." A storm surge of 6-9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) above normal tide levels is anticipated in Jamaica, along with heavy rainfall.
"This is a big hazard in the Caribbean, especially with the mountainous islands," Brennan said. "This could cause life threatening flash floods and mudslides in some of these areas." A tropical storm warning was issued for the entire southern coast of Hispaniola, an island divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
As the storm plowed through the Caribbean Sea, rescue teams in southeastern islands spread out to assess the extent of the damage Beryl caused on Carriacou, an island in Grenada. Three fatalities have been reported in Grenada and Carriacou, with another death in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to officials.
In northern Venezuela, two more deaths were reported, with five individuals still missing and approximately 25,000 people affected by heavy rainfall from Beryl. In Grenada, one of the fatalities occurred when a tree fell on a house, as revealed by Kerryne James, the environment minister.
James highlighted that Carriacou and Petit Martinique suffered the most damage, with numerous homes and businesses demolished in Carriacou. Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell described the situation as "grim," during a news conference on Tuesday. He stated, "There is no power, and there is almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island. The roads are not passable, and in many instances they are cut off because of the large quantity of debris strewn all over the streets."
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