BILLINGS — Hurricane Beryl is currently moving through the Windward Islands, marking the earliest hurricane of the season to pass through that region of the Caribbean.
“I remember it was Thursday when it started as a tropical storm. Being from Florida, I’m no stranger to hurricanes. I didn’t pay much attention to it initially, thinking it would just pass or stay a tropical storm,” shared Billings resident Eva Stanmeyer during a video call on Monday. “I had no clue it would escalate like this.”
Stanmeyer, on an extended vacation to visit friends in Grenada, first heard about the tropical storm late last week. In just 42 hours, the winds intensified to a category 3 hurricane by Sunday and further strengthened to a category 4 hurricane upon making landfall on Monday morning.
Eva Stanmeyer
“Initially, I was staying at a villa by the ocean when I arrived here. I’ve been here for two weeks,” Stanmeyer recalled.
Stanmeyer managed to relocate inland on Sunday morning, stocking up on essentials en route. However, with the island’s small size—21 miles long and 12 miles wide—escaping the hurricane’s impact proved challenging.
“There’s no water. The water supply was cut off last night at 9 o’clock. A curfew was enforced at 7 p.m. Only first responders, police, and emergency services are allowed to move around. Roads are blocked,” Stanmeyer explained. “There’s heavy wind and rain. My room is flooded with about two inches of water.”
Stanmeyer is hoping to depart from the island on Wednesday and reach Billings by Independence Day. As of Monday, she had not received any updates on possible flight delays.
“Please remember everyone. Grenada’s locals, non-locals, and everyone on the Caribbean islands being impacted, keep them in your prayers,” she urged.
