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The Cayman Islands are bracing for Hurricane Beryl, now a Category 3 storm, to pass by on Thursday with 115mph winds and dangerous storm surge as it moves away from Jamaica.
Beryl is due to bring hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surge and flooding to the Cayman Islands in the coming hours before moving over portions of the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize.
Hurricane Beryl has killed at least ten people. Two of those killed — the first in St George’s, Grenada and the second in Hanover, Jamaica — died after hurricane-force winds knocked trees onto their homes.
Hurricane Beryl devastated Jamaica on Wednesday, knocking out power to 400,000 customers and destroying buildings. While the storm is moving away, rainfall and flash-flooding still pose a risk on the island.
Grenada was also left with “unimaginable” destruction after the storm passed through Monday, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said, damaging or destroying 98 percent of buildings in the nation of 6,000.
While the storm is expected to weaken later this week, it will likely remain a major hurricane. Hurricane Beryl has the potential to hit southern Texas and Louisiana over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Key Points
- Hurricane Beryl tracker: When will storm hit Cayman Islands?
- Mapped: Hurricane Beryl’s path
- Hurricane Beryl death toll rises to ten
- Hurricane Beryl has potential to hit Texas on Monday
Hurricane Warning ended in Cayman Islands
The National Weather Service has ended Hurricane Warnings for the Cayman Islands as Beryl passes through the region.
Hurricane Beryl is now on its way to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Katie Hawkinson4 July 2024 19:20 1720116608See it: Hurricane Beryl lashes Montego Bay, Jamaica
Indian cricket team stranded by Hurricane Beryl in Barbados returns home to hero’s welcome
The Indian men’s cricket team arrived to a colourful welcome in capital Delhi on Thursday after being stranded in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl.
Led by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, the men’s team on Sunday won the T20 World Cup against South Africa in a nail-biter that broke a 12-year unsuccessful streak.
The team was eagerly expected after being stranded for three days in the Caribbean nation due to the Category 4 hurricane which passed through Barbados early Monday morning, causing heavy storm and high winds in the region.
The Independent’s Arpan Rai has the story:
Indian cricket team stranded by Hurricane Beryl returns home to hero’s welcome
World Cup winning Indian men’s cricket team greeted by dhol beats, flower bouquets, and cakes
Katie Hawkinson4 July 2024 18:50 1720114208Hurricane Beryl and the role of climate change
Record-breaking hurricanes like Beryl — the earliest recorded Category 5 storm — are being driven in part by the climate crisis.
“It’s really scary stuff,” Steve Maximay, a climate and agriculture expert in Grenada, previously told The Independent.
”When you talk about Category 4 and 5, there are very few systems or protocols that can prepare you for that,” Maximay continued. “You can have resilient buildings but category five winds can move concrete structures.”
Hurricane Beryl’s growth into a Category 5 storm can be attributed to record-warm ocean temperatures. High water temperatures can contribute to sea level rise and hurt marine life in addition to fueling strong storms like Hurricane Beryl. Ocean temperatures will likely continue to rise even if we curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to NOAA.
Island nations are at the front lines of the climate crisis, given their vulnerability to violent storms and sea-level rise.
The Alliance of Small Island States, an organization designed to create a unified voice for small island nations to address the ongoing climate crisis, denounced the climate crisis and its impact on island nations.
“We continue to be sacrificed on the frontlines of a climate crisis we did not cause,” the statement said. “Our sea temperatures grow warmer, encouraging storms to strengthen at alarming speed and increasing the dire threat to our developing countries. The increased danger is evident for the world to see.”
“If the world does not stand with [Small Island Developing States] now, it is only a matter of time before we are all lost,” the alliance continued.
Sophie Powell, chief of advocacy for the United Kingdom-based non-profit Christian Aid, highlighted the role the climate crisis has played in Hurricane Beryl’s devastation.
“The people picking through the wreckage of such a devastating storm have done nothing to cause the climate crisis,” Powell said in a statement. “The carbon emissions of these small, low-lying islands are miniscule yet the consequences to their lives of climate breakdown are vast.”
Katie Hawkinson4 July 2024 18:30 1720113008Video: Googlebox stars stuck in Jamaica as Hurricane Beryl makes landfall
Hurricane Beryl could bring significant rainfall to Texas: meteorologist
AccuWeather Meteorologist Geoff Cornish says Hurricane Beryl could bring four to eight inches of rain to Brownsville, Texas if it hits the region early next week.
“San Antonio and Austin will likely see several inches of rain from Beryl as well,” Cornish said.
AccuWeather’s Paul Pastelok warns the storm could stall in the Gulf Coast, driving longer storm conditions.
“There is a chance that this storm may stall once it gets onshore in northern Mexico and southern Texas, which could lead to more rainfall and flooding concerns,” Pastelok said. The National Weather Service said Beryl has the potential to hit Texas on Monday into Tuesday.
For now, the Category 3 storm is blowing through the Cayman Islands on its way to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Katie Hawkinson4 July 2024 17:50 1720110633In pictures: Mexico braces for Hurricane Beryl
Hurricane Beryl has potential to hit Texas on Monday
Hurricane Beryl could hit Texas by early Monday morning, the National Weather Service forecast on Thursday morning.
Regardless of its exact path, the Category 3 storm will create life-threatening rip currents in the Gulf Coast this weekend.
The impact on Texas will become clearer in the coming days. Officials say residents should remain on high alert and monitor their local weather forecast.
Jamaica reels from Hurricane Beryl
Hurricane Beryl destroyed several buildings and left 400,000 customers without power in Jamaica on Wednesday.
Several roadways in the country’s interior settlements were impacted by fallen trees and utility poles, Jamaican officials said, while some communities in the northern section and the capital were without electricity.
“It’s terrible. Everything’s gone. I’m in my house and scared,” resident Amoy Wellington told Reuters. “It’s a disaster.”
While storm surge will gradually dwindle in the coming hours, Jamaica will still see heavy rain and potential flooding throughout the day.
Some 1,000 people were in hurricane shelters on Wednesday as the storm, now a Category 3, battered the nation.
Hurricane Beryl is now on a path to the Cayman Islands in the coming hours. It is expected to hit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula within the next day as well.
Katie Hawkinson4 July 2024 17:05 1720108476Shocking aerial photos show widespread devastation as Hurricane Beryl moves through Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl: Aerial images show before and after of storm’s destruction
Hurricane Beryl ‘flattened’ Carriacou Island and destroyed thousands of buildings in the eastern Caribbean
Katie Hawkinson4 July 2024 16:54 Newer1 / 9OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
