Deadly Hurricane Beryl Set to Make Landfall in Jamaica
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
A deadly hurricane, Beryl, which has been wreaking havoc across the southeast Caribbean, is expected to make landfall in Jamaica in the coming hours, Excel Magazine International can report.
The powerful storm has already claimed the lives of at least seven people as it tore through Grenada, Venezuela, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The director of the US National Hurricane Center has warned that the core of the “major hurricane” will pass near or over southern Jamaica, bringing with it a “life-threatening” storm surge.
Authorities are on high alert as the storm approaches, with Jamaica’s Information Minister telling the BBC that the government has “put everything in place to deal with a hurricane of this strength.”
Hurricane Beryl set a record on Monday by becoming the earliest storm to reach Category 5 status in the Atlantic, before weakening slightly to a still-destructive Category 4. At its peak, the hurricane had winds of 165 mph (270 km/h).
In Grenada, where the storm made landfall on Monday, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell reported that the island of Carriacou was almost completely cut off, with homes, telecommunications, and fuel facilities flattened.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro also confirmed that Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez was among those injured in the northeastern state of Sucre.
In preparation for the storm, electricity has been shut off in Jamaica’s capital, Kingston, to protect the power grid.
The road leading to Norman Manley International Airport, which is situated on a peninsula, has been blocked.
Social media posts show sections of the road strewn with debris, with giant boulders used for coastal protection breached by the storm.
As Hurricane Beryl bears down on Jamaica, residents are urged to stay indoors and follow safety guidelines issued by the authorities. The situation remains dire, and the full impact of the hurricane is yet to be seen.
