High winds and rain approached Texas on Sunday morning, as Beryl strengthened from a tropical storm into a hurricane overnight and was expected to batter a long stretch of coastline with torrential rain, howling wind gusts and a dangerous storm surge.
Hurricane warnings were issued for a long stretch of the Texas coastline as Beryl’s outer bands were expected to start battering the coast on Sunday.
Texas officials are telling coastal residents to expect power outages and flooding.
Landfall was expected early Monday, and authorities in several coastal counties issued voluntary evacuation orders and urged tourists who were visiting coastal areas for the Independence Day holiday to leave.
Beryl, the first storm in the Atlantic to become a Category 5 hurricane, killed at least 11 people as it moved through the Caribbean earlier this week, triggered by record warmth in the Atlantic Ocean and a storm surge.
“People should be sure to evacuate to safety by evening, as the hurricane is expected to make landfall somewhere along the central Texas coast overnight.”
Texas officials warned residents along the entire coast to prepare for flooding, heavy rain and strong winds, and hurricane warnings stretched from Baffin Bay south of Corpus Christi to Sargent, south of Houston.
In Corpus Christi, officials urged tourists to shorten their trips and return home early if possible, and residents were advised to make their homes safe from flooding by boarding up windows or using sandbags if necessary.
Ben Coutzonvaris, general manager of Island Market on Padre Island in Corpus Christi, said customers have been stocking up on food and drinks, especially meat and beer, and “there’s definitely a lot of buzz about the coming storm.”
The White House said Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had deployed emergency responders, search and rescue teams, bottled water and other supplies to coastal areas.
A fisherman looks at his boat damaged by Hurricane Beryl at the Bridgetown Fisheries Station in Barbados. (Ricardo Mazarin/AP)
In Refugio County, north of Corpus Christi, officials issued mandatory evacuations for 6,700 residents.
While Governor Greg Abbott is visiting Taiwan, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who is acting as the governor, issued a precautionary disaster declaration for 121 counties.
“Beryl is a powerful storm and high winds and potential flooding will pose a serious threat to Texans in Beryl’s path upon landfall and as it moves through the state over the next 24 hours,” Patrick said in a statement Saturday.
Beryl struck Mexico earlier this week as a Category 2 hurricane, downing trees but causing no casualties, before weakening to a tropical storm as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula.
Beryl caused devastation in Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados before making landfall in Mexico. Three people were reported killed in Grenada, three in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela, and two in Jamaica.
