Hurricane Beryl devastates Caribbean, heads for Jamaica
Hurricane Beryl, which reached the highest-fifth category on the Saffir-Simpson scale - ravaged the southeastern Caribbean. At least six people have died there. Now, the storm is heading towards Jamaica.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States forecasts that Beryl will start to lose strength in the coming hours. Nevertheless, the hurricane will still possess enormous force as it passes near or over Jamaica on Wednesday. On Thursday, it is expected to be near the Cayman Islands and then close to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.
Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, urged all citizens on Tuesday to treat the hurricane as a serious threat. "However, it is not time to panic," he added.
On Tuesday afternoon, the hurricane was about 205 kilometres southeast of Isla Beata in the Dominican Republic. Winds were blowing there at 250 kilometres per hour and moving northwest at 35 kilometres per hour.
“What concerns us most is Jamaica, as we expect the eye of the powerful hurricane to pass near or over the island,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan. A tropical storm warning was also issued for the entire southern coast of Hispaniola, the island home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
At least 6 people have already died
So far, three people have died in Grenada and the country’s island of Carriacou, and one in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Two fatalities were reported in northern Venezuela, and five people were reported missing there. Heavy rainfall affected about 25,000 residents in this area.
“The situation is depressing. There is no electricity, and homes and buildings on the island have been almost destroyed. Roads are impassable due to the large amount of debris scattered on the streets. The possibility of more fatalities remains a grim reality as providing aid is very limited,” said Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, on Tuesday after the hurricane passed.
Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, reported that 90 percent of homes on Union Island were destroyed and that a “similar level of destruction” is expected on the islands of Myreau and Canouan.
The last intense hurricane to hit the southeastern Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which caused the deaths of dozens of people in Grenada.
Beryl is the second hurricane in the Atlantic this season, from June 1 to November 30. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico and killed four people there.
