Hurricane Beryl heads toward Jamaica as Category 4 storm leaves Grenada with ‘unimaginable’ damage: Latest updates
Hurricane Beryl is on a path to Jamaica as death toll rises to seven
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Hurricane Beryl will hit Jamaica as a Category 4 storm this afternoon after charting a deadly path through Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Ahead of Beryl’s arrival, officials declared Jamaica a disaster area and imposed a curfew on Wednesday. The storm will then impact the Cayman Islands this evening before making its way to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Grenada was left with “unimaginable” destruction, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said after the storm destroyed buildings and left several people dead.
“We have to rebuild from the ground up,” he said.
Officials said about 98 percent of the buildings on the islands, home to 6,000 people, had been damaged or destroyed. Four people have been confirmed dead in the region and three in Venezuela, taking the death toll to seven.
Beryl intensified to the earliest Category 5 storm recorded in the Atlantic overnight before weakening back to Category 4 on Tuesday.
While the storm is expected to weaken later this week, it will likely remain a major hurricane. Hurricane Beryl also has the potential to hit southern Texas and Louisiana over the weekend, according to projections from the National Weather Service.
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Hundreds of southern Florida residents evacuated Jamaica this week, heading to Fort Lauderdale ahead of Hurricane Beryl, outlet Local10 reports.
“I couldn’t sleep last night because I didn’t know if I would be able to get out today, but it worked out fine,” Thomas Oliver told the outlet after arriving in Florida on Tuesday.
Norman Manley International Airport closed on Tuesday evening in preparation for the storm, according to the Jamaica Observer.
All preparations are in place to deal with Hurricane Beryl, according to Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister. There are more than 900 shelters across the country and an evacuation process for those in flood-prone and low-lying areas, Dixon said.
Hurricane Beryl on path to Jamaica, Yucatan Peninsula with possibility to hit Texas
Hurricane Beryl will barrel through Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said in their latest forecast.
Then, it will move towards the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize while maintaining its strength. The NWS models show Texas could be in Hurricane Beryl’s path overnight Sunday into Monday.
Hurricane conditions will hit Jamaica at noon local time, the NWS said.
When will Hurricane Beryl reach Jamaica today?
Hurricane conditions will hit Jamaica around midday, the National Weather Service says, as Beryl approaches the island’s coast.
All preparations are in place to deal with Hurricane Beryl, according to Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister.
There are more than 900 shelters across the country and an evacuation process for those in flood-prone and low-lying areas, Dixon said.
“We know that we’re susceptible to hurricanes... so we’ve been able to put in place a lot of very interesting financial instruments”, she told the BBC World Service.
Dixon added Jamaica has two “buffers” — a catastrophe bond and a disaster fund — that help pay for rebuilding, following a natural disaster like a hurricane.
Watch live as Jamaica braces for Hurricane Beryl as category 4 storm approaches
Alliance of Small Island States issues statement on Hurricane Beryl and climate crisis
The Alliance of Small Island States, an organization designed to create a unified voice for small island nations to address the ongoing climate crisis, issued a statement as Hurricane Beryl races through the Caribbean Sea.
“This monstrous storm is still sweeping through the region and the full extent of the losses and damages are yet to be ascertained,” the organization said in a statement.
“As the people of small island developing states, the growing sense of hopelessness is intensifying,” the statement continued. “For decades we have been straining to ensure the world hears our calls for urgent, increased ambition on climate action.”
Record-warm ocean temperatures gave Hurricane Beryl the strength to grow from a tropical depression to a Category 4 storm in a matter of days. While natural weather patterns like La Nina can help drive catastrophic storms like Hurricane Beryl, the human-driven climate crisis still plays a role, as oceans absorb more than 90 percent of excess heat produced by greenhouse gases.
High water temperatures can contribute to sea level rise and hurt marine life in addition to fueling strong storms like Hurricane Beryl. Ocean temperatures will likely continue to rise even if we curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to NOAA.
Island nations are at the front lines of the climate crisis, given their vulnerability to violent storms and sea-level rise.
“We continue to be sacrificed on the frontlines of a climate crisis we did not cause,” the Alliance of Small Island States statement said. “Our sea temperatures grow warmer, encouraging storms to strengthen at alarming speed and increasing the dire threat to our developing countries. The increased danger is evident for the world to see.”
“If the world does not stand with [Small Island Developing States] now, it is only a matter of time before we are all lost.”
Jamaica’s information minister: ‘Everything in place'
Jamaica’s information minister has said “everything in place to deal with a hurricane of this strength”.
Dana Morris Dixon said there are more than 900 shelters across the country and an evacuation process for those in flood-prone and low-lying areas.
“We know that we’re susceptible to hurricanes... so we’ve been able to put in place a lot of very interesting financial instruments”, she told the BBC World Service.
Ms Dixon added Jamaica has two “buffers” - a catastrophe bond and a disaster fund - that help pay for rebuilding, following a natural disaster like a hurricane.
“In the past, we never really had that, so if a hurricane came, we weren’t really as resilient and able to find the money in order to do the rebuilding exercise.”
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