Hurricane Beryl, a powerful Category 5 storm, made landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least four people. The storm is expected to pass near Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, bringing life-threatening winds and storm surge. Beryl is the earliest Category 5 storm ever to form in the Atlantic, fueled by record warm waters.
In the aftermath of the storm, rescue crews are assessing the damage in the southeast Caribbean, with reports of three fatalities in Grenada and one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique bore the brunt of the damage, with urgent needs for water, food, and baby formula.
Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell described the situation as grim, with significant destruction of homes and buildings, impassable roads, and large quantities of debris. St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves pledged to rebuild the affected areas, acknowledging widespread devastation.
Residents in the region are reeling from the impact of Beryl, with memories of Hurricane Ivan, which hit the southeast Caribbean 20 years ago, still fresh in their minds. Despite the destruction, stories of resilience are emerging, such as one Grenadian resident who built back stronger after Ivan and saw minimal damage from Beryl.
Beryl set several records, including forming the farthest east in the tropical Atlantic in June and strengthening from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in just 42 hours. The Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be well above average, with as many as 25 named storms expected.
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