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July 03 2024
Jamaica: Jamaica is preparing for the arrival of Beryl, a fierce Category 4 hurricane that has already devastated the southeastern Caribbean. Beryl has killed three people in Grenada, Officials reported the existence of one hurricane in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and another in Venezuela.
Hurricane Beryl was heading toward Jamaica on Tuesday as a monster Category 5 storm, killing at least five people and causing widespread destruction as it slammed into the southeastern Caribbean.
Although it is expected to weaken slightly on Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that the storm would make landfall in Jamaica on Wednesday as a "near major" hurricane, bringing life-threatening winds, storm surges, rainfall and flash flooding.
Beryl has already devastated parts of the southeastern Caribbean as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least three people in Grenada, Officials have confirmed the existence of one case in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and another in Venezuela.
Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said Carriacou Island - which the NHC said was hit directly by the hurricane - was almost completely cut off, with homes, telecommunications and fuel facilities destroyed by winds of up to 150 miles (90 kilometers) per hour.
"We have had no contact with Carriacou in the last 12 hours, apart from a brief contact by satellite phone this morning," he said at a news conference.
About 9,000 people live on the 13.5 square mile (35 square kilometer) island. Mitchell said at least two people were killed there, while a third died when a tree fell on a home on Grenada's main island.
Carriacou residents include the family of UN climate chief Simon Steele. His office informed us that his parents' property has been damaged.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said about 90 percent of homes on Union Island in St. Vincent were damaged or destroyed, along with the airport. This small island covers an area of three square miles and is inhabited by around 3,000 people.
In a video on Facebook late Monday, he said Beryl had "left behind much destruction, pain and suffering."
Officials said one person was killed by flooding in Sucre state on Venezuela's northeastern coast.
Barbados appeared to be spared the worst of the storm, but was still hit by strong winds and torrential rain, though officials have so far reported no injuries.
Martinique was also largely spared, though boats were damaged and the city of Fort-de-France was flooded in some locations.
''Dangerous Precedent''
Experts say it's extremely rare for such a powerful storm to form so early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November.
Beryl is the first hurricane to reach Category 4 status in June, according to NHC records, and the earliest to reach Category 5 in July.
A Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
The oceans are the main driver of hurricanes, and many factors are involved in their formation and intensity — but heat is a key factor.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised alarms, noting that Beryl is setting a concerning example for what could be a very active hurricane season."
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in late May said it expected this year to be an "exceptional" hurricane season, with up to seven storms of Category 3 or higher.
The agency pointed out that the expected rise in storms is linked to warmer temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and specific weather conditions related to La Niña in the Pacific.
Climate crisis 'main culprit'
UN climate chief Steele said climate change was "pushing disasters to record-breaking new levels of destruction".
"Disasters on a scale that used to be the stuff of science fiction are now becoming meteorological fact, and the climate crisis is the main cause," he said on Monday.
The NHC said in its latest update from 1200 GMT that Beryl had maximum sustained winds of 165 miles (270 kilometres) per hour as it headed toward Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
The storm is currently racing through the Caribbean Sea at a speed of 22 miles (35 kilometers) per hour, expected to approach Jamaica by Wednesday and reach the Cayman Islands by Thursday.
People living along the southern coasts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic are being alerted with tropical storm warnings in effect.
The NHC said gale-force winds extend about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the hurricane's eye.
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