Hurricane Beryl has raised concerns due to its rapid formation and the fact that it is the most powerful cyclone that can be at an early stage in the Atlantic hurricane season. It has so far left six dead in its path through the Caribbean.
Beryl reached Category 5 status on Monday night, July 1, and dropped to Category 4 on Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.
Authorities said at least three people have died in Grenada, with one death reported in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, an island in the Eastern Caribbean. Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said “possibly more” people have died there and in Carriacou.
Mitchell said efforts were being made to arrange for a helicopter to visit Carriacou as the sea was still very rough and Coast Guard ships would likely be unable to reach the island, EFE reported.
Venezuela reports 2 dead and 5 missing
The cyclone left significant destruction to buildings, roads and vessels in several countries in the Caribbean Community. Caricom convened a virtual meeting to assess the damage and design a collective response.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan authorities reported two deaths, five missing and more than 600 homes affected in Sucre state, due to the overflow of the Manzanares River after the passage of Beryl.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Remigio Ceballos, reported that medical attention was provided to the population and that “reinforcements” were deployed with personnel from the fire department and other rescue organizations “for analysis, damage assessment and mitigation work.”
Puerto Rico closes beach resorts
In Puerto Rico, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) reported the closure of several beach resorts in the north and southwest of the island due to dangerous maritime conditions caused by the hurricane.
“Conditions are not suitable for bathers,” the DRNA said in its message, while the National Meteorological Service (SNM) issued warnings of coastal flooding and sea currents, as well as for small boats.
Dominican Republic alerts 24 provinces
Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic began to feel the indirect effects of the hurricane, which remains a dangerous system with maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour.
Given this situation, the Emergency Operations Center (COE) of the Dominican Republic placed 24 of the country’s 32 provinces on alert, two of them, Barahona and Pedernales.
In Mexico it will impact Quintana Roo
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) warned of a double impact in Mexico, where between Thursday and Friday it would make landfall in Quintana Roo, the country’s largest tourist state, and between Sunday and Monday in Veracruz, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival cruise ships have diverted or cancelled their itineraries as Beryl moves through the Caribbean, citing the priority given to the safety of their guests and crew.
Jamaica, Haiti, Cayman Islands on alert
Beryl is expected to head toward Jamaica, passing close to the island on Wednesday, and will affect the Cayman Islands the following day. It may also pass along the coast of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to the town of Anse d’Hainault, according to the NHC.
The Jamaican government announced on Tuesday the closure of the international airport and non-essential government offices as part of preparations for the arrival of the cyclone.
The UN meteorological agency stressed that, since records began, a hurricane of maximum intensity had never formed in the Atlantic at this time of year, as the season runs from June 1 to November 30.
Meteorologist José Manuel Galvez told EFE that in recent years there has been a process known as “rapid intensification” of these tropical systems, which “tends to prevail.”
According to the NHC, Beryl is expected to gradually lose intensity by midweek, although it will still maintain hurricane-force winds.
With information from EFE
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