Hurricane Beryl, now a Category 4 storm with winds up to 150 mph (241 km/h), continues its destructive path across the Caribbean and is now heading directly towards Jamaica. The death toll has risen to at least seven, with fatalities reported in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Venezuela. The storm has left a trail of devastation, particularly in the southeastern Caribbean, where it made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane.Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, described the situation as ‘devastating,’ stating that the island of Carriacou was ‘wiped out’ in just 30 minutes. The storm has caused widespread damage, including destroyed homes, flooding, power outages, and disrupted communication lines across several islands.Jamaica, which hasn’t been hit by a major hurricane in three decades, is now bracing for Beryl’s impact. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a hurricane warning for the island, predicting the storm will bring ‘devastating winds, potentially deadly flooding, and destructive waves’ when it makes landfall, likely as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane on Wednesday. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged citizens to take the storm seriously, advising them to stock up on essentials and secure important documents.The Cayman Islands, Haiti, and parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula are also under threat, with hurricane warnings and watches in effect. The international community is mobilizing to respond, with the United Nations reinforcing its agencies in the region and the United States preparing to offer assistance.The unprecedented intensity of Beryl so early in the hurricane season has reignited discussions about climate change. UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, warned that the climate crisis is worsening faster than expected, pushing disasters to new levels of destruction. This has led to renewed calls for more ambitious climate action from governments and businesses.
Key points
- Hurricane Beryl, now a Category 4 storm, has caused at least seven deaths and widespread destruction in the Caribbean.
- Jamaica is bracing for a direct hit from Beryl, potentially the strongest hurricane to hit the island in three decades.
- The storm’s unprecedented early-season intensity has reignited discussions about climate change and its impact on extreme weather events.
Contradictions👾There are slight discrepancies in the reported death toll, with some sources citing six deaths while others report seven.
This may be due to the evolving nature of the situation and varying reporting times.
