“Devastating winds” and “destructive waves: after killing seven people, Hurricane Beryl is preparing to hit Jamaica

The consequences of Hurricane Beryl, here during its passage in the Dominican Republic. EFE – Orlando Barria

Hurricane Beryl, particularly early, is preparing to hit Jamaica and then the Cayman Islands on Wednesday July 3 after killing at least seven people and causing considerable destruction in the southeast of the Caribbean, warned the US Hurricane Center (NHC).

Although relegated Tuesday afternoon to category 4, this first hurricane of the season was, Monday evening and Tuesday morning, classified in category 5, the highest with winds greater than 252 km/h and consequences "potentially catastrophic".

Béryl was then the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded by the American weather services.

Two more deaths related to the hurricane have been reported in Venezuela, bringing the death toll in the country to three. At least three more people have been killed in Grenada, which Beryl made landfall on Monday, and one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Devastating winds (…), life-threatening rising seas and destructive waves are expected in parts of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands during the day and evening of Wednesday,”, the NHC wrote in its 2100 GMT bulletin on Tuesday, noting that the hurricane is packing winds of 250 km/h.

11p EDT Tue: Devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves are expected from #Hurricane #Beryl in portions of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands Wednesday and Wednesday night. More: https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ pic.twitter.com/uWsfCQSbc1

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) July 3, 2024

“The good news is that Beryl has started to weaken a bit,”, NHC Director Michael Brennan said, calling the hurricane an”“extremely dangerous."

Risk of considerable damage

Béryl could affect Jamaica in category 3 or 4, which could cause "considerable damage due to wind, particularly to homes, roofs, trees and power lines& quot;, he added.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness notably invited "all Jamaicans to stock up on food, batteries, candles and water& quot;, to put "in a safe place" their " essential documents", in a publication on the social network

If the storm gets serious, electricity and water services will likely be shut off as a precaution to prevent fires and protect equipment. Make sure you have candles, batteries, or other light sources.

If using candles or lamps, take safety precautions to avoid fires. pic.twitter.com/Q0hA6nbaOB

— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) July 3, 2024

In addition to Jamaica, hurricane warnings have also been issued in the Cayman Islands, which Béryl is expected to brush or fly over during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the NHC.

In the Dominican Republic, massive waves crashed onto the shore of the capital Santo Domingo, AFP photographers reported. Béryl will also hit southern Haiti and reach, weakened, the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Thursday evening.

Climate crisis

"It is clear that the climate crisis is pushing disasters to new record levels of destruction, observed the UN Climate chief Simon Stiell. One of the two victims recorded on Carriacou, an island in Grenada, which the eye of the hurricane devastated on Monday, is part of his family.

"The climate crisis is going from bad to worse, and faster than expected", which requires climate action in response " more ambitious on the part of governments and businesses", he added in a statement to AFP.

In Barbados, homes and businesses were flooded and fishing boats damaged in Bridgetown. On the French island of Martinique, streets were flooded and some 10,000 customers were been deprived of electricity, according to the supplier EDF.

Linked to the La Nina phenomenon ?

Béryl is the first hurricane of the season in the Atlantic. A climatic phenomenon of this scale is extremely rare so early in the hurricane season which extends from early June to late November in the United States.

The American Weather Observatory (NOAA) had forecast an extraordinary season at the end of May and the possibility of four to seven Category 3 or higher hurricanes.

These forecasts are notably linked to the expected development of the La Nina weather phenomenon, as well as to the very high temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean, according to NOAA. Temperatures in the North Atlantic have been evolving continuously for more than a year at record heat levels, clearly above historical records.