At a Glance
- Hurricane Beryl made landfall Monday with winds up to 150 mph.
- Grenada along with St. Vincent and the Grenadines took the brunt of Beryl's fury in the Windward Islands.
- Damage in some areas was described as extreme and at least seven people died.
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At least seven people are dead after Hurricane Beryl slammed the Windward Islands Monday with winds up to 150 mph, heavy rainfall and dangerous storm surge flooding. By Wednesday, the hardest-hit islands were just starting to get a true grasp of the devastation.
People across the region lost homes and businesses as Beryl roared through as the earliest Atlantic Basin Category 4 storm on record.
Four of the deaths happened in the Windward Islands. The other three were in Venezuela.
Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique Took The Brunt Of Beryl
Beryl made landfall in Carriacou, Grenada as a Category 4 hurricane.
"In half an hour, Carriacou was flattened," Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said in a news conference.
Mitchell confirmed two deaths there and one in Grenada. The prime minister took a helicopter tour Tuesday to survey the damage in Carriacou. He said seeing the impact firsthand was "heartbreaking" but in every face of the people he met, "I saw resilience and strength."
Ninety-five percent of homes on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique were either damaged or destroyed, said Grenada's Attorney General Claudette Joseph in a news conference on Tuesday morning.
Joseph also said a state of emergency was lifted for Grenada, but will stay in place for Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Emergency officials added that boats and planes were taking relief supplies to the island. An emergency response team was also sent to Carriacou and one of their priorities is getting communication systems back up and running.
At Least One Death In St. Vincent and the Grenadines
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, located north of Grenada, at least one person was killed on the island of Bequia, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a news conference late Monday.
"The Union Island airport's roof is gone. It's no more," said Gonsalves. He added that 90 percent of homes on that island are gone. Dozens of evacuees from Union Island arrived in St. Vincent's capital of Kingstown by boat on Tuesday. Some survivors described huddling in their homes as the hurricane ripped roofs from houses and sent debris flying "like missiles". One survivor told iWitness News, "I don't even want my enemies to go through such a devastation."
Prime Minister Gonsalves said hundreds of houses in St. Vincent are severely damaged or destroyed, but government facilities were scheduled to reopen on Tuesday.
He asked for any private businesses that could open to do so, but consider the needs of employees who may have lost their homes, or are without electricity or water.
Barbados Avoids The Worst
Barbados was spared a direct hit from Hurricane Beryl, but the island's south coast experienced flooding and there was damage to buildings.
“Right now, I’m real heartbroken,” Vichelle Clark King told The Associated Press as she surveyed damage at her shop in the Barbadian capital of Bridgetown.
The shop was filled with sand and water.
The island's fishing community also experienced huge losses. One fisherman who owned two boats told Nation News he watched one of the vessels sink before his eyes, as he tried to tie down the boats. He said huge back-to-back waves slammed into the dock, sinking and damaging multiple boats and ripping apart the pier.
Floods And Deaths In Venezuela
Three people died and others remained missing in Sucre, Venezuela, according to the government there. Beryl caused heavy rain and flooding along the country's northeastern coast.
The Associated Press reported that search and rescue groups were working in Cumanacoa and surrounding areas where some 25,000 people were affected.
The country's president Nicolas Maduro shared pictures of rescue operations on social media.
Click here for the latest forecast. You can also follow the storm on our maps tracker.
Here are our live updates as Beryl made landfall and continued to move through the Caribbean Monday:
(5:21 p.m. ET) Where's Beryl Going Next?
The storm is about 125 miles northwest of Grenada, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. It's still a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph.
From weather.com digital meteorologist Madeline Scheinost:
Beryl should be passing south of Hispaniola Tuesday, and it could bring 1-3 feet of storm surge to parts of the southern coast of the island. By early morning Wednesday it is expected to pass near Jamaica. Though some gradual weakening is expected, it is forecast to remain a hurricane as it passes Jamaica.
(5:10 p.m. ET) Cayman Islands Prep For Beryl
Preparations for Beryl are underway in the Cayman Islands, where people are packing sandbags supplied by the government.
Long lines were seen at grocery stores, too.
(4:16 p.m. ET) Be Prepared For This Year’s Hurricane Season
Beryl is the first hurricane in what is expected to be an extremely active Atlantic season. Here are some things to note:
-Beryl is early. The season's first hurricane usually doesn't come until late July or early August.
-Ocean water temperatures are at record highs for this time of year in much of the Atlantic Basin. Warmer waters fuel stronger hurricanes.
-We're likely to see a La Niña develop during this hurricane season. That usually makes the atmosphere more conducive to tropical storms and hurricanes. It also could also steer more storms toward the U.S.
-The time to prepare is now, before a storm is headed your way. Check out our hurricane safety page for everything you need to know.
(3:36 p.m. ET) Fishing Takes A Hit On Barbados
About 20 fishing boats were lost to the storm in Barbados, according to a report from the public Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation. Many others were damaged.
While Barbados relies mostly on tourism for its economy, the United Nations has encouraged diversifying that by boosting the fishing industry.
Video shared to social media showed people at the Barbados Fisheries Complex scrambling as water rushed in this afternoon.
(2:57 p.m. ET) Hardest-Hit Areas Rely On Tourism
Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines took the brunt of Beryl's fury so far. Both are located in the southern Windward Islands.
Grenada has a population of about 126,000 people, according to the World Bank. It includes the island of Carriacou where Beryl made landfall earlier today.
About 104,000 people live in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
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Both regions rely on tourism for their economy, as well as some agriculture.
Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, according to its embassy in the U.S., while St. Vincent and the Grenadines is known for banana production.
The Windward Islands, and the neighboring Leewards Islands, got their name from sailing. You can read more about that here.
(2:32 p.m. ET) The Eye's Moving On, But The Storm's Not Over
From weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman:
The eyewall usually has the most intense rate of rainfall. But often you'll see the longest-lasting heavy rain after the eye passes, when you're in the southerly flow on the storm's eastern flank.
That's the case right now in Grenada as well as St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Of particular concern is where those moist winds slam into the mountainous terrain of those islands. It's a significant flash flood and landslide threat.
(2:09 p.m. ET) Astronauts Get Incredible View Of Beryl
The International Space Station passed over Beryl about two hours before the storm made landfall with winds of 150 mph. That gave astronauts aboard the ISS a breathtaking view of the storm as they orbited about 250 miles above Earth.
NASA shared the video on social media.
(1:37 p.m. ET) Beryl The Latest Example Of Challenging Storm Forecasts
Hurricane Beryl’s winds were 75 mph late Saturday afternoon. By Sunday morning, the storm was packing sustained winds up to 130 mph. That made it a Category 4 storm.
By the time Beryl made landfall 24 hours later, sustained winds were clocked at 150 mph.
Beryl is just the latest example of the forecast challenges when dealing with a small, rapidly intensifying storm, weather.com senior meteorologist Chris Dolce writes.
You can read the full article here.
(1:18 p.m. ET) First Images Of Destruction In Carriacou and Petite Martinique
Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Carriacou, which along with Petite Martinique, is part of Grenada. Ron Redhead, a member of parliament in Grenada, shared images of roofs torn from homes and scattered through neighborhoods.
(12:57 p.m. ET) Winds Gust Over 120 MPH
A weather station at an airport on Grenada recently reported a sustained wind speed of 92 mph and a gust of 121 mph, according to an update from The National Hurricane Center.
(12:45 p.m. ET) Photos Show Beryl's Wave Crashing On Barbados
(11:50 a.m. ET) Grenada Officials Fear ‘Extreme’ Damage
Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell shared the following during a press conference: “The expectation is that the damage in Carriacou and Petite Martinique is going to be extreme ... We expect we will have to quickly transition into damage assessment and recovery and stabilization mode ... We have reports of extensive storm surge. We have reports of extensive loss of roof and damage to buildings. There is no electricity on any of the islands and communications is also difficult. Because of the rough seas and because the eye of the hurricane has just passed over Carriacou, we anticipate that we may be in for another 3-4 hours of intense winds, strong storm surge and the likelihood of even greater damage.”
(11:47 a.m. ET) Barbados Avoids The Worst
Over the weekend, the island of Barbados was gearing up for a direct hit. That didn’t happen, but wind gusts up to 69 mph were reported there as Beryl barrelled toward the Windward Islands.
From weather.com staff writer Renee Straker:
I grew up in Barbados and most of my family still lives there. The island is about 166 square miles, with a population of about 300,000 - smaller than many counties in the U.S. Many of the homes are constructed from cinder blocks, not drywall, so they can withstand hurricanes. However, traditional Barbadian homes, called chattel houses, are made of wood and designed to be moved, making them vulnerable to storms.
Most households have at least one car, but the public bus service is widely used and depended on. Many of us can identify our neighbors and relatives by their cars, license plates are memorized like phone numbers.
(11:32 a.m. ET) 'It’s Bad, It’s Really Bad'
About an hour before Beryl made landfall in Carriacou, Grenada, a member of parliament on the island posted this on Facebook:
“May God help us in Carriacou and Petite Martinique, it’s bad, it’s really bad.”
Minister Tevin Andrews shared video earlier today as conditions deteriorated.
(11:19 a.m. ET) Beryl Makes Landfall
Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Carriacou, Grenada, shortly after 11 a.m. EDT with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Carriacou, the largest of the Grenadine island chain at 13 square miles, has a population of about 9,600 people. It’s part of the three-island state of Grenada, along with mainland Grenada and Petite Martinique.
(10:52 a.m. ET) Roofs Torn, Storm Surge In St. Vincent And The Grenadines
Video shared by Trinidadian radio station Slam 100.5 shows roofs ripped from homes in St. Vincent and the Grenadines Monday morning. Storm surge started filling a street near homes. The county’s emergency management agency announced on Facebook that it lost all of its telephone lines.
(10:38 a.m. ET) Beryl Bearing Down On Windward Islands
The Windward Islands are located in the West Indies at the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea. They include Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Grenadines and Grenada.
Beryl's eyewall is hammering the string of islands from Grenada to the Grenadines.
"The full fury of the eyewall is clobbering some of those islands," weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman says. “It's the strongest hurricane those areas have experienced since at least Ivan 20 years ago."
(10:20 a.m. ET) Trees, Utility Poles Down In Barbados
Officials from the Barbados Department of Energy Management reported 17 incidents across seven parishes as of Monday morning: Nine reports of power outages, three reports of downed utility poles, two reports of roof damage, one pole fire, one report of a downed tree and at least one report of an unstable home. Footage shared by CBS News Barbados showed a tree down in St. James.
(8:45 a.m. ET) Beryl Only Third Category 4 Hurricane To Track Near Grenada, St. Vincent and Grenadines
Only two other Category 4 storms in the historical record have tracked near Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Allen in 1980. The forces of Hurricane Ivan were directly responsible for the deaths of 92 people including 39 people in Grenada. Allen became a Category 4 hurricane as its center passed between St. Vincent and St. Lucia. Eighteen people were killed on St. Lucia where about 500 houses were destroyed.
Weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman breaks down the storm's historic aspects in this article.
(8:40 a.m. ET) - Barbadians Urged To Stay Indoors
Although Hurricane Beryl is passing south of Barbados, the storms brought wind gusts of 69 mph to the island and officials urged people not to go outside until an all clear is given.
(8 a.m. ET) Beryl Once Again Category 4
The National Hurricane Center says Beryl has restrengthened and is once again a Category 4 hurricane. At 8 a.m. ET, Beryl was located 70 miles east of Grenada producing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.
(7:45 a.m. ET) Landfall Imminent
At 5 a.m. ET, Beryl was located just over 100 miles from some of the Windward Islands producing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. Remember, landfall is officially declared when the eye of the storm intersects with a coastline. Impacts from a storm may be felt long before an official landfall declaration.
(7:30 a.m. ET) Power, Water Outages Possible
Officials in some Caribbean nations announced controlled shutdowns of electricity. Water outages were also noted as a possibility in many places.
(7 a.m. ET) Video Update From Barbados Meteorological Services
A worker for the Barbados Meteorological Service shared a video showing the initial impacts of “relentless” Beryl at the agency’s office.
(6 a.m. ET) Conditions Deteriorate
The outer bands of Hurricane Beryl have begun to impact Barbados and St. Lucia with heavy rains and strong winds. Emergency services are on high alert and residents are advised to stay off the roads and seek immediate shelter.
(Weather.com senior news editor Dave Siff contributed to this report.)
