Hurricane Beryl wreaked havoc as it tore through Barbados and the Windward Islands, leaving a trail of deadly destruction in its wake as a powerful Category 4 storm.
Reports indicate that at least three individuals lost their lives in Grenada and Carriacou, where the hurricane first hit land. Furthermore, a fourth fatality was recorded in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
According to The Associated Press, one death in Grenada occurred when a tree fell on a house.
The vicious storm demolished homes and structures on the Windward Islands with winds reaching 150 mph. It rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane, making it the earliest storm of such intensity to form in the Atlantic.
“The situation is dire,” stated Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell during a press briefing on Tuesday. He continued, expressing, “There is widespread power outages, extensive destruction of residences and buildings on the island. The roads are impassable, and debris is obstructing passage.” Mitchell also warned of potential additional fatalities.
Carriacou and Petit Martinique suffered the most from the storm, enduring severe damage from Hurricane Beryl’s fierce winds and dangerous storm surge. Communication links to these islands have been severed, with Mitchell mentioning his communication with Minister of Carriacou Tevin Andrews was only possible via satellite phone on Tuesday morning.
Due to the destruction of gas stations on the island, there have been challenges in supplying fuel to the necessary heavy machinery for clearing debris and wreckage.
Mitchell disclosed that an emergency team comprising officials from Grenada and neighboring partners will be dispatched to Carriacou to assess the damage and support recovery efforts.
Images from Barbados post-storm display boats of various sizes scattered across the waterway as fishermen struggled to salvage their sunken vessels.
Ricardo Mazalan / AP
Hurricane Beryl is now targeting Jamaica, with sustained winds clocking in at 160 mph as of Tuesday morning.
Jamaica is directly in the storm’s path and is anticipated to experience the impacts of Hurricane Beryl commencing Wednesday.
The Cayman Islands and the southern coast of Haiti to the Dominican Republic border are all under a hurricane watch.
The National Hurricane Center foresees some weakening as the storm ventures through the central Caribbean towards Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, although it is expected to retain hurricane strength.
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