How dangerous is Hurricane Beryl?
Al Jazeera
One person has been killed as the Category 5 hurricane flattens islands on its way towards Jamaica.
It flattened the island of Carriacou in half an hour on Monday morning and has knocked out 95 percent of the power in Grenada, leaving hospitals without water or electricity. As it hurtles its way across the Caribbean, Hurricane Beryl, one of the strongest ever recorded, is leaving a trail of destruction as it makes its way towards Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
The hurricane, which has been designated the highest category for storms – Category 5, has already claimed its first victim – one death has been reported on Union Island – while most homes in Grenada, where winds reached 240km/h (150mph), have been damaged or destroyed. Among the worst affected are the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique in Grenada.
According to the US National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) latest public advisory, Beryl is “expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica”.
This is one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the region since Hurricane Maria in 2017, also a Category 5 storm, which hit Dominica, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and other parts of the Caribbean with devastating consequences. The estimated death toll was 3,059, with 2,975 of those deaths occurring in Puerto Rico alone.
Here’s what we know about Hurricane Beryl so far.
