The storm destroyed homes and devastated farms on Caribbean islands.
The small island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was badly hit, with at least one person killed and more victims feared. In Grenada, where at least three people died, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said many homes were destroyed and called the storm’s effect “Armageddon-like.” Venezuela has been hit by severe flooding and at least three people have died in the country, with four more missing, President Nicolás Maduro said.
In Barbados, the fishing community and coastline have been hit hard, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said. In a video shared on X, large waves hit the balcony of a Dover Beach hotel.
On Monday, Beryl strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane, and early tuesday Its maximum sustained winds reached a record 165 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center, making it the strongest July hurricane on record.
Beryl weakened as it moved west across the Caribbean Sea toward the Gulf of Mexico — but it is still forecast to be at or near major hurricane status when it passes south of the Cayman Islands.
Although the storm weakened slightly as it approached Jamaica, authorities made it clear that this was a major weather event that should not be taken lightly.
“If you live in a low-lying area, an area that is historically prone to flooding and mudslides, or if you live on the banks of a river… I implore you to evacuate to shelter or a safer location,” Holness, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, said in a video statement Tuesday.
Casey and Warner Haley, of Knoxville, Tennessee, were enjoying their honeymoon after getting married on Saturday when they were told they needed to check into their resort in Montego Bay.
“Yesterday morning the weather was perfect. We went snorkeling and kayaking and when we got back the forecast had changed,” Casey, 23, said in a phone interview Wednesday.
The couple said they immediately contacted their travel agent but were told there were no flights available. At the airport, they were told the same thing.
“It was literally an apocalyptic-type scenario,” Casey said. “We went to every flight counter, just saying, ‘Hey, can you take us anywhere, especially in the U.S., but literally anywhere?’ And everyone said, ‘No, we’re all full.'”
The local grocery store was packed, Casey said, describing it as “an absolute frenzy,” with lines stretching all the way to the back.
A mandatory evacuation was not ordered at the resort, but a conference room was opened for guests to ride out the hurricane.
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