Hurricane Beryl is barreling towards Jamaica as residents scramble to prepare for the powerful Category 4 storm, which has already claimed at least seven lives and caused significant damage in the southeast Caribbean.
Maps published by the US National Hurricane Center reveal the path of devastation the deadly storm will continue to make, passing through Jamaica, where a pair of US honeymooners have been left stranded , before nearing the Cayman Islands and heading into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, home to the popular holiday city of Cancun. The agency warns that "devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves" are expected in Jamaica this afternoon.
The Cayman Islands will then suffer a similar battering early on Thursday. Residents have been urged to heed the advice of local emergency management officials in regards to evacuation orders. Throughout today, "life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides from heavy rainfall" are expected in much of Jamaica and southern Haiti.
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Although Beryl is expected to weaken slightly over the next couple of days, tropical storm warnings have been issued in the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize, where Beryl is expected to hit late Thursday. According to the US National Hurricane Center, there still remains "uncertainty" over the path and intensity of Beryl as it travels over the Western Gulf of Mexico this weekend.
Late on Monday, Beryl escalated into the earliest Category 5 hurricane in Atlantic history, reaching peak winds of 165mph (270 kph) on Tuesday before downgrading to a still destructive Category 4. Early Wednesday, the storm was located approximately 185 miles (300 kilometers) east-southeast of Kingston, boasting maximum sustained winds of 145mph (230 kph) and moving west-northwest at 20 mph (31 kph), according to the center.
Officials in Jamaica are urging residents in flood-prone areas to prepare for evacuation. "I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat," Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated in a public address on Tuesday. "It is, however, not a time to panic."
In Miami, US National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan indicated that Jamaica seems to be directly in Beryl's path. He advised residents to find a safe shelter and remain there through Wednesday.
"We are most concerned about Jamaica, where we are expecting the core of a major hurricane to pass near or over the island," he expressed during an online briefing. A storm surge of 6-9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) above typical tide levels is likely in Jamaica. A tropical storm warning has also been issued for the entire southern coast of Hispaniola, an island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
As Hurricane Beryl swept through the Caribbean Sea, rescue teams in southeastern islands were dispatched to assess the damage inflicted on Carriacou, an island in Grenada. Officials reported three fatalities in Grenada and Carriacou and another in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In northern Venezuela, two more deaths were reported, with five people still missing. Heavy rainfall from Beryl also affected about 25,000 people in this area. Kerryne James, the environment minister, said that one death in Grenada occurred when a tree fell on a house. She noted that Carriacou and Petit Martinique suffered the most damage, with numerous homes and businesses destroyed in Carriacou.
On Tuesday, Grenada's Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, announced that there was no power, roads were impassable, and the potential increase in the death toll "remains a grim reality." Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, pledged to rebuild the archipelago.
He pointed out that 90% of homes on Union Island were destroyed and anticipated "similar levels of devastation" on the islands of Myreau and Canouan. The last severe hurricane to strike the southeast Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which claimed the lives of dozens in Grenada.
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