The Foreign Office has issued a travel alert for people heading to a popular holiday destination in the Caribbean, with Hurricane Beryl set to hit as early as this morning
The Foreign Office has issued a stark warning to holidaymakers, stating that ‘all airports will be closed’ as the death toll rises to six. Hurricane Beryl is predicted to hit the Caribbean as early as this morning (July 3), and officials have advised travellers that evacuation orders may be in place – urging them to comply with authorities.
In its update, the Foreign Office stated: “Weather projections forecast a major hurricane to hit Jamaica, possible as early as the morning of Wednesday 3 July. International and domestic airports are closed from 2200 local on Tuesday 2 July, and will only reopen when assessed safe to do so. You should follow and monitor local and international weather updates from the US National Hurricane Center and follow the advice of local authorities including any evacuation orders. See Extreme weather and natural disasters.”
Hurricane Beryl tore through open waters on Tuesday as a formidable Category 5 storm, following a trajectory that could bring it close to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after initially making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, claiming at least six lives. A hurricane warning has been issued for Jamaica, while a hurricane watch is in effect for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
Beryl, predicted to start losing intensity on Tuesday, is still expected to be near major hurricane strength when it passes close to Jamaica on Wednesday, the Cayman Islands on Thursday and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Centre. The centre has issued a warning that Beryl is likely to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica, where officials have advised 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 said in a public address. “It is, however, not a time to panic.”, reports the Express.
Beryl is the earliest Category 5 storm ever to form in the Atlantic, fuelled by record warm waters. On Tuesday, the storm was located about 300 miles (485 kilometres) southeast of Isla Beata in the Dominican Republic.
It had top winds of 165 mph (270 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 22 mph (35 kph).
“Beryl remains an impressive Category 5 hurricane,” the National Hurricane Centre said. A tropical storm warning was in place for the entire southern coast of Hispaniola, an island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
As the storm barrelled through the Caribbean Sea, rescue crews in the southeast Caribbean fanned out across the region to determine the extent of the damage that Hurricane Beryl inflicted after landing on Carriacou, an island in Grenada, as a Category 4 storm.
Three people have tragically lost their lives in Grenada and another in St Vincent and the Grenadines due to the devastating effects of the storm, officials reported. In a heartbreaking incident in Grenada, a tree toppled onto a house, resulting in a fatality, as confirmed by Kerryne James, the minister of climate resilience, environment and renewable energy, in a statement to The Associated Press.
James highlighted that Carriacou and Petit Martinique bore the brunt of the storm’s fury, with urgent needs for water, food, and baby formula emerging as top priorities. Plans are underway for an emergency team to make their way to Carriacou on Tuesday morning.
Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell addressed the nation, painting a bleak picture of the aftermath: “The situation is grim,” he declared at a news conference. He went on to describe the dire circumstances, noting the absence of electricity and the widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure across the island.
Mitchell also detailed the challenges facing the recovery efforts, stating, “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.”
Mr Mitchell added: “The possibility that there may be more fatalities remains a grim reality as movement is still highly restricted.” Meanwhile, Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, promised to rebuild the archipelago in a statement early on Tuesday.
He noted that 90% of homes on Union Island were destroyed, and that “similar levels of devastation” were expected on the islands of Myreau and Canouan. The last strong hurricane to hit the southeast Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which killed dozens of people in Grenada.
Grenadian resident Roy O’Neale, 77, recalled how he lost his home to Ivan and built back stronger, with his current home sustaining minimal damage from Hurricane Beryl. “I felt the wind whistling, and then for about two hours straight, it was really, really terrifying at times,” he said by phone.
“Branches of trees were flying all over the place.”