Hurricane Beryl: Powerful storm hits Jamaica

A powerful hurricane has hit Jamaica with strong winds and heavy rain, damaging buildings and downing trees on the Caribbean island.

Hurricane Beryl – a Category 4 storm with winds of up to 130 mph (215 kph) – hit the island’s southern coast.

Pictures circulating on social media showed streets flooded with water and roofs of houses collapsed.

At least seven people have been killed so far as a result of the storm that has swept through the Caribbean.

“It’s horrific. Everything is gone. I’m in my house and I’m scared. It’s a disaster,” Amoy Wellington, a resident of a rural farming community in the southern parish of St. Elizabeth, told Reuters.

Hurricane warnings are in effect in Jamaica, where authorities have imposed a curfew from 06:00 to 18:00 local time (11:00-23:00 GMT).

Prime Minister Andrew Holness earlier urged people to “take this cyclone seriously”.

“If you live in a low-lying area, an area historically prone to flooding and landslides, or if you live on the banks of a river or valley, I urge you to evacuate to a shelter or safer ground,” he said.

Three people died in Grenada, where the hurricane first made landfall on Monday, one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and three more in northern Venezuela, which was hit by strong winds and flooding.

About 90% of homes were destroyed or severely damaged on Union Island, part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Parts of Jamaica have earlier experienced power outages and electricity supply disruptions, with the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) saying it had to halt power line repairs in some locations for the safety of its workers.

At a news conference, National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan said Jamaica would experience “hurricane-force winds.”

The director explained that rainfall in some parts of the country could reach 12 inches (30 centimeters), which could lead to flooding and mudslides, while life-threatening storm surges of up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) above high tide are also expected.

“Everyone in Jamaica should be in a safe place and be prepared to stay there for at least 12 hours,” Dr. Brennan warned.

BBC correspondent Nick Davies said Jamaicans were rushing to supermarkets earlier in the week to get “as much as they can as quickly as they can”.

Jamaican Information Minister Dana Morris-Dixon said the island has 900 shelters to accommodate people who need to leave their homes.

In Venezuela, Hurricane Beryl brought heavy rains that caused a river to flood in the northern state of Sucre, killing three people and leaving several others missing.

A government delegation was hit by a falling tree while inspecting the damage.

President Nicolas Maduro said Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was among the injured. He added that she “suffered severe bruises but is conscious.”

In Mexico, where Hurricane Beryl is expected to hit in the coming days, Cancun residents rushed to supermarkets to stock up on supplies. Some found store shelves empty.