The powerful Hurricane Beryl headed towards Mexico on Wednesday night after striking the southern coast of Jamaica with destructive winds and a significant sea surge. This Category 4 storm has caused widespread devastation across the Caribbean, resulting in the loss of at least seven lives as it rapidly intensified. By late Wednesday, Beryl was moving away from Jamaica and was projected to pass just south of the Cayman Islands overnight before progressing towards Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, as reported by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). This storm is the first to reach the Category 4 level in June since NHC records began and the earliest to reach Category 5 in July.
Mexican authorities are working swiftly to get ready for Beryl’s arrival, as it is anticipated to bring destructive winds, a hazardous storm surge, and heavy rainfall over the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize. Laura Velazquez, the Civil Protection national coordinator, mentioned, “We will experience intense rains and wind gusts” starting from Thursday. She also announced the mobilization of hundreds of military personnel, marines, and electricity workers in preparation for potential damage. The government has readied 112 shelters with a capacity for approximately 20,000 individuals and has suspended school in the state of Quintana Roo, where Beryl is expected to make landfall.
In Jamaica, the NHC stated that there were still expectations of “life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides from heavy rainfall” overnight. The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper reported that over 400,000 people were without power, as per a public service company. The destructive hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves that are continuing to impact Jamaica are projected to affect the Cayman Islands overnight as Beryl passes by, possibly at major hurricane intensity. Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica had enforced a curfew from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm across the island of 2.8 million inhabitants and urged compliance with evacuation orders. Desmon Brown, the manager of the National Stadium in Kingston, mentioned that his team had quickly prepared by securing windows and protecting equipment, such as computers and printers. Brown also noted that due to the stadium’s mainly concrete structure, there were limited additional precautions that could be taken.
As of Wednesday night, Beryl was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph), said the NHC.
