Hurricane Beryl has rammed into the Cayman Islands after leaving a path of death and destruction in Jamaica. Beryl, which became a category 3 hurricane with wind speeds near to 120 miles per hour (193km/h) has been wreaking havoc in the Caribbean since Monday, nearly destroying parts of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.
The storm has also damaged or destroyed about 95% of homes in Mayreau and Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, this past week.
Earlier on Thursday, meteorologists said Beryl was 50 miles south-west of Grand Cayman but moving away from the island. Hurricane Beryl weakened to a Category 2 storm as it sailed over open water toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday where Mexico’s tourist centers of Cancún lie.
The storm’s center was roughly 215 miles (345 kilometers) east-southeast of Tulum, Mexico as of Thursday afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175km/h) and moving west-northwest at 20 mph (31km/h), AP News reported.
Out of fear that the storm may bring more destruction with it, Cancún's airport filled with tourists hoping to board the last flights out before the arrival of the storm. Mexico’s defense ministry also opened about 120 storm shelters and shared warnings and instructions on evacuation and other measures.
Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, reached its peak earlier this week as the earliest category 5 storm on record. The storm reportedly left at least 11 people dead after ramming through St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Venezuela, Grenada and Jamaica, CNN reported.
After the storm touched down in Jamaica on Wednesday it forced airports to close and sent nearly 1,000 people into shelters provided for by the government. The storm managed to uplift roofs, electric poles and trees as well as caused widespread flooding, The Guardian reported.
The storm also left many without water and at least 60% of people without electricity. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro told state media that three people had died as a result of the storm and four more were missing. More than 8,000 homes had also been damaged by Beryl.
Laura Velázquez, the head of Mexico’s civil defense agency said on Thursday that Beryl is expected to shrink down to a Category 1 hurricane before it reaches an unpopulated area south of Tulum on Friday. However, the storm could rebuild to hurricane strength before hitting the Mexico-US border at Matamoros, she warned.