Barbados Dangerous hurricane "Beryl" approaches Jamaica
Jamaica is feeling the effects of the approaching severe hurricane "Beryl". The foothills of the dangerous hurricane have been causing rain on the Caribbean island since last night.
03.07.2024, 17:20
SDA
According to the US hurricane center NHC, the storm center will pass over Jamaica or close to it during the course of the day. Life-threatening winds and a storm surge are expected.
According to the information, "Beryl" is a hurricane with sustained wind speeds of up to 230 kilometers per hour, the second strongest category 4 of 5. It has already left a trail of devastation in the southeast of the Caribbean.
Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the country a disaster zone for seven days on Tuesday evening. He also said in a speech that a nationwide curfew would apply on Wednesday between 6 am and 6 pm. The airports in Kingston and Montego Bay were closed for the time being.
Almost complete destruction on several islands
"Beryl", the first hurricane of the Atlantic season that began in early June, developed from a tropical storm to a category 4 hurricane in less than 24 hours at the weekend. The storm's center made landfall on Monday over the island of Carriacou, which belongs to Grenada.
There and on the nearby island of Petite Martinique, 98 percent of the buildings were damaged or destroyed, said the coordinator of Grenada's disaster control authority Nadma, Terence Walters, at a press conference on Tuesday evening.
Numerous trees and electricity pylons had fallen and there was no electricity, water or cell phone reception. All the vegetation on Carriacou had also been destroyed, said Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
"Beryl" a "direct consequence of the climate crisis"
"This hurricane is a direct result of the climate crisis that Grenada, the Caribbean and other small island developing states are at the forefront of," he emphasized. Grenada will demand climate justice from the international community.
It will no longer accept having to rebuild year after year and take out loans to do so, while the countries responsible for the crisis remain inactive.
Carriacou has around 6,000 inhabitants, Petite Martinique around 900. Union Island, which has around 5,000 inhabitants and belongs to the state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was also particularly affected. According to the government, around 90 percent of the infrastructure there was damaged. Grenada has so far reported three deaths as a result of the storm, Venezuela two and St. Vincent and the Grenadines one.
Historic storm
Never before has such a strong storm been recorded so early in the hurricane season, which lasts six months - according to expert Philip Klotzbach from Colorado State University, "Beryl" is the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded in July.
In the meantime, the NHC measured wind speeds of around 270 kilometers per hour - category 5 is reached from 252. As a result of climate change, warmer seawater makes strong hurricanes more likely.
According to forecasts, the storm center will pass over or close to the Cayman Islands from Thursday night. On Friday, it will approach the Mexican peninsula of Yucatán.
