OAN’s James Meyers
8:20 AM – Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Hurricane Beryl was crashing toward Jamaica on Wednesday, with Jamaicans scrambling to make preparations after the powerful Category 4 storm had already killed at least seven people and caused grave damage in the southeast Caribbean.
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Beryl was expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica, where officials warned residents.
“I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a public address Tuesday. “It is, however, not a time to panic.”
National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said Jamaica will be in the direct path of Beryl. He pleaded with residents to find a safe place to shelter and stay there through Wednesday.
“We are most concerned about Jamaica, where we are expecting the core of a major hurricane to pass near or over the island,” he said in an online briefing.
Storm surges of 6-9 feet above typical tide levels are likely in Jamaica, as well as heavy rainfall.
“This is a big hazard in the Caribbean, especially with the mountainous islands,” Brennan said. “This could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides in some of these areas.”
The small island country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines were also hit hard, with at least one person dying and more casualties are feared. In the nation of Grenada, where at least three people have died, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said many homes had been destroyed and called the storm’s damage “Armageddon-like.”
Additionally, Venezuela was hit by massive flooding and at least three people have died there, with four more missing, the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, said.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, Beryl was classified as a Category 5 hurricane with record-breaking 165mph winds by the National Hurricane Center, making it the strongest July hurricane on record.
Beryl has continued to weaken as it moves west across the Caribbean Sea towards the Gulf of Mexico, with sustained wind speeds of a staggering 145mph as of 5 a.m. ET., when it was 250 miles away from Kingston, Jamaica’s capital.
Wind speeds could lessen more by the time the storm reaches Jamaica.
“Devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected in portions of Jamaica beginning this afternoon and in the Cayman Islands early on Thursday,” the National Hurricane Center said early Wednesday. Even if Beryl does not make landfall on Jamaica, it could still cause devastation around 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET when winds are expected to be the strongest.
“If you live in a low lying area, an area that is historically prone to flooding and landslide, or if you live on the banks of a river … I implore you to evacuate to a shelter or to safer ground,” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a video statement Tuesday.
With Beryl’s path being uncertain, state authorities in Texas have warned people in coastal; areas to be prepared over the holiday weekend in case tropical weather reaches the United States’ Gulf Coast.
“While Texans take time to enjoy the holiday weekend with family and friends, it’s important to stay weather aware, pay close attention to the rapidly-changing forecasts, and don’t be caught without an emergency plan,” Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said in a statement.
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