For the latest information on storm activity in the Cayman Islands, as well as information on how to prepare for hurricane season, visit Storm Centre.
A rare and powerful early season storm, Hurricane Beryl ripped off roofs and uprooted trees and power lines on several eastern Caribbean islands as it beat a path towards the Cayman Islands on Monday.
Jamaica was upgraded by the US-based National Hurricane Center on Monday evening from a Hurricane Watch to a Hurricane Warning, meaning hurricane-force winds are expected to arrive there in less than 36 hours.
Hurricane #Beryl Advisory 13A: Noaa Hurricane Hunters Find Beryl Even Stronger as it Moves Quickly Across the Southeastern Caribbean. Hurricane Warning Issued For Jamaica. https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) July 1, 2024
While the forecast track of the storm remains uncertain, Cayman residents are being urged to brace for a potentially devastating impact from what is currently an “extremely dangerous” Category 5 hurricane.
Officials say it is the earliest time of year that a storm of this strength has developed in the Atlantic.
And the timing did appear to catch some in the Cayman Islands unawares, with shoppers racing to the stores Monday to stock up on last-minute supplies.
Meanwhile, Governor Jane Owen and Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly convened a meeting of the National Hazard Management Executive on Monday in preparation for the storm, which is expected to pass to the south of the Cayman Islands in the early hours of Thursday.
The committee discussed potential risks, the emergency response plan and shelter provision and reviewed maps of flood-prone areas, according to brief notes from the meeting shared with the media.
The Cayman Islands Regiment is on standby to spring into action.
Several MPs helped hand out plywood and sandbags Monday as residents began putting up hurricane shutters and boarding up windows.
HCMI Director Dani Coleman emphasised in a press release on Monday evening, “being prepared is crucial.
“The more prepared we are, the faster we can recover from the impacts of the hurricane. Stay vigilant and take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your loved ones.”
Grenada suffers first impact
There were reports of damage across the eastern Caribbean, primarily in Grenada.
The country’s national disaster co-ordinator Terence Walters said he had received “reports of devastation” from Carriacou and the surrounding islands, according to reporting from Sky News.
Packing winds of up to 150 mph, the storm uprooted trees and blew off the roof of a hospital, forcing patients to be evacuated to a lower floor.
“There is the likelihood of even greater damage. We have no choice but to continue to pray,” Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told journalists. Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines also experienced damage.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities.
The impact in the eastern Caribbean offered a chilling glimpse of what could be in store for islands further west.
As of Monday evening, the National Hurricane Center was warning, “Tropical storm force winds, dangerous waves and heavy rainfall are expected to continue while the core of Beryl pulls away from the southern Windward Islands.
“Beryl is forecast to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves across the Caribbean Sea later this week.”
Hurricane conditions are possible in Jamaica by Wednesday, while the Cayman Islands is one of several countries being urged to monitor the storm’s progression.
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