Sarah Hooper Published on July 3, 2024 at 12:18 pm | Updated on July 3, 2024 at 12:19 pm Expand
Category 4 Hurricane Beryl slammed into the Caribbean earlier this week, killing at least six people and causing extensive damage.
The storm is heading towards Jamaica after passing through Grenada, Venezuela and St. Lucia.
A hurricane watch was issued for the southern coast of Haiti and the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, and a tropical storm watch was issued for Belize from the Mexican border south to Belize City.
Beryl is expected to bring life-threatening strong winds and a storm surge to Jamaica, and authorities have warned residents in areas at risk of flooding to prepare to evacuate.
In Miami, National Hurricane Center director Michael Brennan said Jamaica appeared to be in Beryl’s direct path.
“We are primarily concerned about Jamaica. The center of a major hurricane is expected to pass near or over the island. We want people to be in a safe location to ride out the storm by (Tuesday) evening and be prepared to remain in place through Wednesday,” he said at the briefing.
Santo Domingo’s breakwaters were no match for the giant waves. (Photo: AP)
Bridgetown, Barbados, suffered extensive damage both on land and at the port. (Photo: AP)
The Dominican Republic was rocked by waves (Photo: EPA)
Rescue teams in southeastern islands have begun assessing the extent of the damage Beryl has caused on the Grenadian island of Carriacou.
Three deaths were reported in Grenada and Carriacou, and one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, authorities said.
Two more people were killed and five missing in northern Venezuela, where officials said some 25,000 people were affected by heavy rains from Beryl.
Environment Minister Kerryn James said the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique were the hardest hit, with many homes and businesses destroyed in Carriacou.
“The situation is severe. There is no electricity and homes and buildings on the island are almost completely destroyed,” Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said on Tuesday.
Refugees from Union Island arrive in Kingstown (Photo: AP)
Extensive damage on St Patrick’s Island, Grenada (Photo: Reuters)
The Barbados ship sustained heavy damage (Photo: AP)
“Roads are impassable and many are closed due to the amount of debris on the roads.”
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“With movement still severely restricted, the potential for further deaths remains a harsh reality,” Mitchell added.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said 90 percent of homes on Union Island had been destroyed and that he expected “similar levels of devastation” on the islands of Mireau and Canouan.
The last powerful hurricane to hit the southeastern Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which killed dozens of people in Grenada.
Hundreds of people took shelter in evacuation centres across the southeastern Caribbean, including 50 adults and 20 children who took shelter inside a school in Grenada.
Read more: New storm tracker reveals where Hurricane Beryl will strike next
Read more: Ominous satellite footage shows Hurricane Beryl hurtling towards the Caribbean with winds of 130 mph
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