Hurricane Beryl Continues to Strengthen as It Nears Windward Islands
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Hurricane Beryl is expected to remain an “extremely dangerous” category 4 storm as residents in Barbados and the Windward Islands were engaged in last minute preparations on Sunday for its passage within the next few hours.
Many people rushed to supermarkets and motorists were lining up outside gas stations in preparation of the storm.
Grenada’s Governor General, Dame Cécile La Grenade, is to declare a state of emergency that goes into effect from 7.00 pm (local time) and last for the next seven days, while St. Lucia has already announced that there will be a total shutdown of the island from 8.30 pm (local time).
The Grantley Adams International Airport In Barbados will be closed from 7.00 pm (local time) “until further notice”.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said Sunday that the hurricane “will blow off a lot of roofs” as the authorities in all the countries to be affected by the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season, urged citizens to move to approved shelters and take all the necessary precuations to save lives.
The Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Farley Augustine has declared a SOE and that all hospitals on the sister isle will only be dealing with accident and emergency cases.
Schools in Trinidad and Tobago will be closed on Monday.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders, who were due to hold their three-day 47th regular meeting in Grenada from Wednesday said it is being postponed “to a date to be determined.
“The primary focus of the Community is now on citizen safety and security. Several member states, including host nation Grenada, are now engaged in emergency preparations and planning to address the aftermath of the hurricane.
”We implore everyone in the path of this Hurricane to take all necessary protective measures.
The Community stands ready to support our member states which will be affected by this dangerous hurricane,” the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said in a brief statement.
The Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines (CAL) Sunday announced the cancellation of several flights on Monday with all domestic flights being grounded.
“Caribbean Airlines is expected to resume domestic operations in the afternoon period of Monday, July 1, weather conditions permitting,” it said.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the “extremely dangerous” hurricane is approching the islands with “life-threatening winds and storm surge” that would begin early on Monday morning.
The hurricane is located 250 miles south east of Barbados and 350 miles, east south east of St. Vincent, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour (mph).
It is moving forward at a speed of 18 mph, down from the 21 mph it had been recording over the last few hours.
“A continued quick westward to west-northwestward motion is expected during the next
few days. On the forecast track, the center of Beryl is expected to move across the Windward Islands Monday morning and across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea late Monday through Wednesday,” the NHC said.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Tobago, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for the French island of Martinique.
A tropical storm watch has gone into effect for Dominica and Trinidad with the government of the Dominican Republic issuing a tropical storm watch from Punta Palenque westward to the border with Haiti.
A tropical storm watch has also been issued for the entire south coast of Haiti from the border of the Dominican Republic to Anse d’Hainault.
The NHC said that with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph with higher gusts, Beryl is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
“Fluctuations in strength are likely during the next day or so, and Beryl is expected to remain an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane through landfall in the Windward Islands,” it said, adding that hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area beginning early Monday morning.
“Potentially catastrophic wind damage is expected where the eyewall of Beryl moves through portions of the Windward Islands, with the highest risk of the core in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.”
The NHC warned that wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains are often up to 30 per cent stronger than the near-surface winds indicated in this advisory, and in some elevated locations could be even greater.
“Hurricane Beryl is expected to produce rainfall totals of three to six inches across Barbados and the Windward Islands through Monday. Localized maxima of 10 inches is possible, especially in the Grenadines. This rainfall may cause flash flooding in vulnerable areas,” the NHC added.
