BTN News: Hurricane Beryl has caused a lot of damage in Jamaica. The storm brought big waves, sudden floods, and strong winds. Beryl hit the south coast as a Category 4 storm. This is the second strong hurricane to hit Jamaica in recent years. On Wednesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the eye of the hurricane was near the southern coast of Jamaica. This caused very bad weather. Before the eye got close, satellite pictures showed strong winds hitting the southeast coast. The center of the hurricane was about 45 miles south of Kingston.
Beryl’s Effect on Jamaica and Its People
Many People Without Power and Damage Everywhere
Hurricane Beryl’s winds slowed down to 130 mph (215 km/h), but it was still a Category 4 storm. Weather experts from AccuWeather said the hurricane’s eye passed within 50 miles south of Kingston. This put the destructive part of the hurricane near the southern coast. The strong winds left over 400,000 people in Jamaica without power on Wednesday night. There was also a lot of damage to buildings, including the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. Pictures on social media showed roofs torn off, trees fallen, and power lines down. The last time the south of the island had such a bad storm was in 2004 with Hurricane Ivan, also a Category 4 storm.
High Waves and Future Predictions
Beryl’s storm surge was expected to raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet above normal tide. The NHC warned that strong hurricane winds would likely hit the island. Mountain areas would suffer the most. AccuWeather predicted that Beryl’s damage in parts of Jamaica could be similar to the damage in the Windward Islands. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the whole island a disaster zone. He set a curfew from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Holness said in a press conference that Jamaica had not yet seen the worst of the hurricane. He was waiting for reports on flooding and damage to the coast.
How Hurricane Beryl Affected Other Caribbean Areas
Deaths and Damage in Other Places
Before reaching Jamaica, Hurricane Beryl caused a lot of damage in the southeastern Caribbean. The storm killed six people. Three people died in Grenada and Carriacou, one in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and two in Venezuela. In Venezuela, heavy rain caused severe flooding and rivers to overflow in the state of Sucre. Beryl’s center is expected to move quickly towards the Cayman Islands and then to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The National Weather Service gave a hurricane warning for Yucatán from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun. They also gave a tropical storm watch from Puerto Costa Maya to Chetumal.
Continued Dangers and Future Forecast
Jamaica and the Cayman Islands still have hurricane warnings. Beryl is expected to stay a hurricane in the northwest Caribbean. But it might get weaker, said the NHC. The hurricane will continue to be a danger to people and property in the central and northwest Caribbean for the rest of the week. AccuWeather experts think Beryl will not hit the U.S. Atlantic coast. But they advise people along Texas’s Gulf Coast to watch the storm closely as it might still cause problems.
Heavy Rain and Risk of Floods
Beryl is expected to bring 4 to 8 inches of rain to Jamaica until Wednesday night. Some areas might get up to 12 inches of rain. An additional 4 to 6 inches of rain will fall on Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula. This heavy rain could cause sudden floods and landslides. The NHC also said that big waves caused by Beryl have hit the southern coasts of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. These waves are expected to affect the Cayman Islands too.
Conclusion
Hurricane Beryl has shown how powerful and damaging storms can be. Jamaica and other Caribbean areas need to stay prepared and respond quickly. Both leaders and residents must be alert as Beryl continues to move through the Caribbean, bringing risks to life and property.
