The terrifying early-season Hurricane Beryl has already cut a swath through parts of the Caribbean, leaving at least seven people dead and hundreds of homes and buildings destroyed. Jamaica is next in the cross hairs, expected to pass “near or over” the island by this afternoon.
Jamaica closed its airports late on Tuesday, but hundreds of Canadians got out just before the closures on three Air Transat flights last night. The storm is likely to slam into Jamaica’s shoreline later Wednesday as a major hurricane, making it only the third hurricane to make landfall on the island in 40 years.
So far, the island of Carriacou in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines saw the most severe damage from Beryl. At least seven people were killed in those two nations and Venezuela. Damage has also been reported on the island of Petite Martinique and in Barbados.
As well as Jamaica, where storm surge on the island could rise up to 9 feet above normal tide levels, the Cayman Islands could also see tropical storm conditions by Wednesday afternoon. From there, the path becomes less clear, with Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and northern Belize both preparing for potential impact.
Jamaica sign. (photo by Paul G. Smith)
Jamaica’s Prime Minister declared a nationwide curfew for Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., as citizens scrambled to stockpile food, water and batteries, and secure their homes.
Only two hurricanes have made landfall in Jamaica in the last four decades: Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. This writer can attest to the power of Hurricane Gilbert, having visited a few short weeks after the storm and witnessing the devastation it wrought. Gilbert killed 318 people and caused about $2.98 billion (1988 USD) in damages along its path.
Hurricane Beryl is the earliest Category 5 storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean. (Photo Credit: imagedepotpro / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Scientists have warned that this year will see a more active and extreme hurricane season. In a televised speech Tuesday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness highlighted Hurricane Beryl — the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic — as an example of how developing nations suffer from the worst effects of climate change.
“While our carbon emissions are minuscule, our region bears the brunt of the impacts of climate change,” Holness said. “The hurricane further highlights the urgent need for global climate action and targeted support to enhance resilience against the escalating dangers of climate change.”
High ocean temperatures are causing the impacts of hurricanes to increase, which many scientists blame on planet-warming pollution.
Topics From This Article to Explore
