“We have never seen such a strong hurricane this early in the season” – so says Colin McCarthy, an extreme weather scientist, about Hurricane Beryl.
The Category 3 hurricane battered Jamaica and is heading towards Cayman Islands. Beryl has already caused severe damage in some of the eastern islands: flattening buildings, cutting off power and water, and killing up to seven people.
Hurricane Beryl has been bringing 140mph winds and continuous rain and causing severe damage.
At 11pm on Wednesday night, Eastern Daylight Time, the US National Hurricane Service said: “Devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves are expected to continue in Jamaica for a few more hours and spread into the Cayman Islands.”
A map with estimated timings shows the Cayman Islands likely to be hit from around 2am EDT on Thursday, with western Cuba to be struck a few hours later.
At 5am on Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Service added: “Weather deteriorating in the Cayman Islands with strong winds, dangerous storm surge, and damaging waves expected there later this morning.”
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is in line for the hurricane at around 8pm on Thursday, local time.
“These will quickly increase to near hurricane strength as the centre of Beryl remains close to the island throughout the day.”
In the US, President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the situation, with those in the region urged to follow the advice of local officials.
The UK Foreign Office has said people should “follow and monitor local and international weather updates from the US National Hurricane Center and follow the advice of local authorities including any evacuation orders.”
This is happening at a time of year when many travellers are visiting the Caribbean. These are the key questions and answers.
What are the effects so far?
The worst damage appears to be in the small islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which are part of Grenada. Carriacou was left “flattened” with more than 98 per cent of the buildings, including the main health facility and airport, damaged.
“We have to rebuild from the ground up,” said Grenada’s prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, after visiting the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Two of the three deaths in Grenada were recorded on Carriacou. “The possibility there may be more fatalities remains a grim reality as movement is still highly restricted,” Mr Mitchell said.
St Vincent and the Grenadines was also badly hit. The prime minister, Ralph Gonsalves, said: “On one island in the Grenadines archipelago, the Union Island, 90 per cent of homes have been severely damaged or destroyed.”
The impact in Jamaica has been devastating. About two-thirds of homes are without power. All flights from the island’s airports were cancelled on Wednesday and the authorities will be assessing the conditions at each before reopening. Damage is reported at the airport serving the capital, Kingston.
What is the outlook?
The government in the Cayman Islands warned on Wednesday night: “The hurricane is exhibiting maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and is moving west northwest at a speed of 21 mph.
“Residents are advised to remain indoors and adhere to stay-in-place guidance until the storm has passed and the government issues all-clear notice.
“Avoid non-essential travel and stay indoors once the hurricane conditions begin to manifest.
“Even if Hurricane Beryl does not make direct landfall to our islands, we can still experience significant impacts from storm surge.
“Storm surge is a dangerous rise in sea level caused by a hurricane’s strong winds pushing water towards the shore. This can lead to severe flooding, extensive property damage, and life-threatening conditions.
The National Hurricane Center says: “Hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surge, and heavy rainfall are expected over portions of the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize beginning tonight as Beryl approaches that area as a hurricane.
“There remains uncertainty in the track and intensity forecast of Beryl over the western Gulf of Mexico this weekend. Interests in eastern Mexico and southern Texas should monitor the progress of Beryl.
Regardless of the exact track, rip currents could cause life-threatening beach conditions beginning late Friday and continuing through the weekend across much of the Gulf coast.”
What are the options for travellers in the region?
Flights from Jamaica’s airports to the US are likely to resume around lunchtime on Thursday.
UK airlines cancelled flights to and from Jamaica on Wednesday. The Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow to Montego Bay on Thursday has also been grounded.
Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays is telling customers in Jamaica: “Please remain in your hotels and follow instructions issued by local authorities and hotels.
“We have extended your current hotels, therefore you can remain safely where you are. We will be in touch again by email as soon as we have new information for you and appreciate your patience while we work through looking at options for you.”
Hotels have plans for keeping guests safe, and their instructions should be followed.
Friday’s British Airways departure from London Gatwick to Kingston is shown as operating on time.
I am booked to travel imminently to the region. What are my options?
American Airlines says passengers booked to Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grand Cayman, Kingston, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios up to and including Friday 6 July can defer travel up to 10 July.
JetBlue has a similar policy for passengers to Belize City, Grand Cayman, Kingston and Montego Bay.
Virgin Atlantic is allowing passengers booked this week to defer trips up to 17 July.
“We are contacting affected customers regarding their travel arrangements, including the option to rebook if they no longer wish to travel. We’d like to thank them for their patience and understanding and recommend that all customers due to travel to or from the Caribbean over the next 48 hours check the status of their flight on virginatlantic.com before going to the airport.”
Will travel insurance help?
Christina Tunnah, general manager of Americas for World Nomads, said; “If Hurricane Beryl derails your travel plans, the first point of call should be your airline or travel provider as they may provide aid. The same goes if your accommodation is impacted by the disaster.
“Travel insurance may offer cover for a range of events including trip cancellation, missed connection, and trip delay – but it depends on the type of travel insurance policy purchased and whether you’ve started your journey yet.
“At World Nomads, on our Explorer Plan, if your accommodation is affected, you may be covered for reasonable additional accommodation and transport costs. You may also claim for additional expenses incurred if your pre booked public transport is cancelled or delayed for more than 12-24 hours, depending on the scenario.”