Hurricane Beryl leaves damage in the Caribbean and continues on its path

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that Beryl is the first hurricane of the season | Photo: EFE/ RAMMB/CIRA/CSU

The National Meteorological Service of Mexico (SMN) reported on July 3 that the center of Hurricane Beryl, Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scalecontinues its movement towards the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula.

They also said that the hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 240 kilometers per hour (km/h) with gusts of 295 km/h and is moving at 35 km/h.

The SMN, in coordination with the United States National Hurricane Center, established a surveillance zone for the effects of Beryl from Cabo Catoche to Chetumal, in Quintana Roo.

The agency indicated that for the moment the hurricane is not affecting Mexican coasts. However, according to its trajectory, it is expected that from July 4, the cloud bands of Beryl will cause intense to moderate torrential rains, strong gusts of wind and high waves in the Yucatan peninsula.

Meteorologists expect the storm to make landfall in Quintana Roo, the country’s largest tourist state, on July 5 and reach the Gulf of Mexico state of Veracruz on July 7-8.

In the current Atlantic hurricane season, Mexico has received two tropical storms.

Photo: EFE/Miguel Sierra

The first storm was Alberto, on June 20, which left six dead in Nuevo León, as well as destruction and flooding in the capital Monterrey, the second most populous city in Mexico. The second was Chris, which made landfall in early July in the state of Veracruz.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Beryl is the first hurricane of the season and sets a precedent because a cyclone of maximum intensity has never formed in the Atlantic at this time of year.

The impact of Hurricane Beryl left dead and damages in the state of Sucre

Venezuelan authorities reported Three dead in Sucre state as a result of a river overflowing due to Hurricane Beryl, which also caused the total loss of at least 400 homes.

According to official reports, there are five missing, 8,000 homes affected and some 80 families in temporary shelters.

Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez traveled to that area of ​​Sucre state on July 2 to inspect the damage, along with other Venezuelan authorities.

Photo: Courtesy of Visiipol

President Nicolás Maduro said that Rodriguez suffered “several major blows” due to a fallen tree while he was travelling in a vehicle to visit the affected area in Cumanacoa on July 2.

The Ministers of Internal Affairs and Water Affairs, Remigio Ceballos and Rodolfo Marco Torres, respectively, were also injured by the fall of the tree, as well as the mayor of the Montes municipality, Tomás Bello, and the commander of the Strategic Region of Integral Defense (REDI) in the eastern region, Juan Sulbarán, who suffered a fracture in one hand.

Hurricane Beryl passes through the Caribbean

He Beryl’s passage through the Caribbean has left at least seven dead, causing concern among meteorological services around the world due to the speed of its formation and the fact that it has reached the greatest power that a cyclone can have (category 5) at such an early stage in the Atlantic hurricane season.

At least three people died in Grenada on July 2, adding to one death recorded in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, islands in the Eastern Caribbean.

The cyclone has also left buildings, roads and boats destroyed in several countries in the Caribbean Community (Caricom), which suspended its annual meeting and called a virtual meeting to assess the damage and design a collective response.

Photo: EFE/ Orlando Barría

In Puerto Rico, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) reported on July 2 the closure of several beach resorts in the north and southwest of the island due to dangerous maritime conditions caused by the hurricane.

The Dominican Republic began to feel the indirect effects of the hurricane on July 2, so the Emergency Operations Center (COE) put 24 of the country’s 32 provinces on alert, two of them, Barahona and Pedernales, on red (maximum alert).

Cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival have diverted or cancelled their itineraries as Beryl has advanced through the Caribbean, citing the priority given to the safety of their guests and crew.

The Jamaican government announced the closure of the international airport and non-essential government offices as part of preventive measures in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.

With information from EFE

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