Devastated Caribbean islands Strong hurricane "Beryl" hits Jamaica
Beryl" has already devastated several smaller islands. It is the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded in July. Now Jamaica is feeling its force.
After its destructive passage over several smaller Caribbean islands, the severe hurricane "Beryl" has reached Jamaica. The center of the storm grazed the southern coast of the country with around three million inhabitants on Wednesday, according to the US hurricane center NHC. With sustained wind speeds of up to 215 kilometers per hour, "Beryl" has since weakened somewhat, but remains a hurricane of the second strongest level 4. The storm brought strong winds and heavy rain. So far, there has been no information about damage or possible casualties in Jamaica.
Some roads were impassable due to fallen trees or flooding, as reported by the disaster management authority ODPEM. Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that almost 500 people had been accommodated in emergency shelters. He had previously declared a nationwide curfew until 6 p.m. (local time). Not everyone complied - the newspaper "Jamaica Observer" reported that some residents of the capital Kingston were dancing in the pouring rain. Holness announced the deployment of police and military after the hurricane passed through to help with the storm's aftermath and maintain order.
Armageddon-like destruction
"Beryl", the first hurricane of the Atlantic season that began in early June, went from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in less than 24 hours last weekend. The storm's center made landfall on Monday over the island of Carriacou, which belongs to Grenada. According to the government, 98 percent of the buildings there and on the nearby island of Petite Martinique were damaged or destroyed. Grenada's Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell spoke of Armageddon-like devastation.
Union Island, which belongs to the state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was hit similarly hard. A total of seven deaths have been reported so far as a result of the storm: three each in Grenada and Venezuela and one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Never before has such a strong storm been recorded so early in the Atlantic 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.
"Beryl" as a result of the climate crisis
Mitchell called the hurricane a direct consequence of the climate crisis. He emphasized that Grenada no longer wanted to accept that small island developing countries had to bear the consequences of climate change and go into debt for reconstruction, while the countries primarily responsible did nothing. The European Union promised Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines a total of 450,000 euros in humanitarian aid.
"Beryl" continues to move in a west-north-westerly direction. According to NHC forecasts, the center of the storm will pass just south of the Cayman Islands during the night (local time) and make landfall again over the Mexican peninsula of Yucatán on Friday night. "Beryl" is expected to weaken somewhat over the next few days, but will remain a hurricane. Precautions are being taken in Yucatán's vacation resorts - the authorities brought more than 10,000 turtle eggs to safety from nests on Playa Delfines beach in Cancún.
dpa