Hurricane Beryl causes ‘unimaginable’ damage to Grenada as Category 4 storm heads to Jamaica: Live updates

As experts examine the potential path of Hurricane Beryl toward the United States this weekend, a meteorologist with Fox 35 Orlando says residents of Texas and Louisiana should be on the highest level of alert.

“The area from the Texas coast to Louisiana should be watching Hurricane Beryl closely,” said Noah Bergen. X. “As of now, the most likely path seems to be to go much further. [southeast Texas] or [northeast Mexico]But clearly the results are varied.”

Meteorologists will have a clearer idea of ​​Beryl’s path as it passes over Jamaica today, Bergen said. Beryl is expected to hit the Cayman Islands overnight before hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

The National Weather Service (NWS) just said “devastating” winds and “life-threatening” storm surges are expected to hit Jamaica within hours.

According to the NWS, Jamaica’s mountainous areas are expected to experience the most severe “destructive” winds.

Before Beryl arrived, authorities declared Jamaica a disaster area and imposed a curfew on Wednesday.

Information Secretary Dana Morris-Dixon said Wednesday morning that there are more than 900 shelters across the country and that evacuation procedures are in place for people in flood-prone areas and low-lying areas.

The human-driven climate crisis is “contributing significantly” to Hurricane Beryl, said Desmond MacKenzie, Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government and Community Development. cnn On Tuesday.

“As a small island nation, we are exposed to the larger world around us,” MacKenzie told the outlet. Hurricane Beryl is expected to hit Jamaica this afternoon before heading towards the Cayman Islands.

The Small Island Alliance, an organization that aims to bring together small island nations with a unified voice to address the ongoing climate crisis, issued a similar statement Tuesday after Hurricane Beryl devastated several islands in the Eastern Caribbean.

“We continue to be victims on the front lines of a climate crisis we did not create,” the statement said. “As ocean temperatures warm, storms are intensifying at an alarming rate, posing a dire threat to developing countries. The increased risk is clear for the world to see.”

Higher temperatures contribute to sea level rise, can harm marine life, and can fuel powerful storms like Hurricane Beryl. Ocean temperatures are likely to continue to rise even if greenhouse gas emissions are curbed, according to NOAA.

Island nations are on the front lines of the climate crisis, vulnerable to storms and rising sea levels.

“If the world does not stand with us, [Small Island Developing States] “It is only a matter of time before we are all destroyed,” the coalition added.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center also issued a hurricane watch for Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, home to popular beach resorts.

Ahead of the storm expected to approach Thursday night, Mexico’s Defense Ministry said the Army, Air Force and National Guard had activated emergency response protocols in three states of Yucatan.

About 120 shelters have opened, and nearly 4,900 soldiers are stationed on the peninsula.

In the resort city of Cancun, supplies of the wooden planks used to protect storefronts were dwindling as residents braced for Beryl’s arrival.

Hundreds of South Floridians fled Jamaica and headed to Fort Lauderdale this week ahead of Hurricane Beryl. Local 10 report.

“I couldn’t sleep last night because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to go out today, but it worked out OK,” Thomas Oliver told the outlet after arriving in Florida on Tuesday.

Norman Manley International Airport was closed Tuesday evening in preparation for the storm. Jamaica Observer.

According to Jamaica’s Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon, all preparations are in place to deal with Hurricane Beryl. Dixon said there are more than 900 shelters across the country and evacuation procedures are in place for people in flood-prone areas and low-lying areas.

The National Weather Service said in its latest forecast that Hurricane Beryl will hit Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Wednesday.

The hurricane then moves toward the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize, maintaining its strength. NWS models show Texas could be in Hurricane Beryl’s path Sunday night into Monday.

According to the NWS, the hurricane is expected to hit Jamaica at noon local time.

The hurricane is expected to hit Jamaica around noon as Beryl approaches the island’s coast, according to the National Weather Service.

According to Jamaica’s Minister of Information, Dana Morris Dixon, all preparations are complete to deal with Hurricane Beryl.

According to Dixon, there are more than 900 shelters across the country, and evacuation procedures are in place for people in flood-prone areas and low-lying areas.

“We know we are vulnerable to hurricanes… so we have a lot of very interesting financial products in place,” she told the BBC World Service.

Dixon added that Jamaica has two “buffer mechanisms” in place to help pay for rebuilding after natural disasters such as hurricanes: disaster bonds and a disaster fund.