A newlywed couple from the US have revealed Hurricane Beryl has caused 'doomsday' scenes in Jamaica as they've been left stuck on the Caribbean island as the Category 4 storm is set to hurtle through.
Beryl has already caused devastation across islands in the southeast Caribbean, claiming at least seven lives. The honeymooners, Casey and Warner Haley, had embarked on their post-wedding holiday to Montego Bay but now find themselves stranded as Hurricane Beryl bears down.
They attempted to depart via Sangster International Airport (MBJ), only to be informed on Tuesday afternoon that all flights were booked and the airport was preparing to close until further notice. In a worrying Facebook update, Casey shared: "Warner Haley and I are stuck in Jamaica after a wild trip to an airport that looks like a scene out of a doomsday movie! Thankfully our resort has plans in place and we are prepared and prayerful."
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She added: "Please keep us and all others in its path in your prayers as Hurricane Beryl is scheduled to hit us tomorrow. I'll update this post when we can, but it is likely we will lose internet/service."
While speaking to CNN, Casey revealed their struggle to procure supplies, stating local stores are filled with residents in a "frenzy". The couple had no option but to return to their resort.
Warner added: "So we just had to go back to the resort and buy all the supplies we could from the gift shop. We got chips, water, snicker bars and that's about it. We're keeping all the very valuable survival things next to our bags."
He remarked: "Now we got to hunker down for this. We have faith we'll be taken care of. What's going to happen is what's going to happen. We're just going to do our best and take every precaution we can."
It's believed that around 200 people might still be trapped at the hotel, even though the majority left on Monday. Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac are currently bracing themselves with a hurricane warning in place.
Despite Beryl weakening, forecasts suggest it will cling to near major-hurricane strength as it heads towards Jamaica by early Wednesday, reaches the vicinity of the Cayman Islands on Thursday, and bears down on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula come Friday, as per the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane watch has been declared for Haiti's southern coastline and the eastern side of the Yucatan. Meanwhile, Belize has initiated a tropical storm watch from its border with Mexico down to Belize City.
Beryl made history late on Monday by becoming the earliest storm on record to reach Category 5 status in the Atlantic, boasting winds of 165mph by Tuesday before dropping to a still formidable Category 4. As of early Wednesday, the storm was located about 250 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, with sustained winds of 145mph and tracking west-northwest at a speed of 22mph, according to the center's updates.
Beryl is expected to unleash dangerous winds and storm surge on Jamaica, leading officials to advise residents in flood-prone areas to prepare for potential evacuation. "I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat," Prime Minister Andrew Holness implored during a public address on Tuesday.
"It is, however, not a time to panic," he added. Meanwhile, in Miami, National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan cautioned that Jamaica appears to be directly in Beryl's path.
"We are most concerned about Jamaica, where we are expecting the core of a major hurricane to pass near or over the island," he declared during an online briefing. "You want to be in a safe place where you can ride out the storm by nightfall (Tuesday). Be prepared to stay in that location through Wednesday."
A storm surge of 6-9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 metres) above normal tide levels is predicted in Jamaica, coupled with heavy rainfall. "This is a big hazard in the Caribbean, especially with the mountainous islands," Brennan warned. "This could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides in some of these areas."
A tropical storm warning has been issued for the entire southern coast of Hispaniola, an island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. As Storm Beryl wreaked havoc in the Caribbean Sea, rescue teams in southeastern islands were dispatched to evaluate the damage inflicted on Carriacou, an island in Grenada.
Officials have reported three fatalities in Grenada and Carriacou, along with another death in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In northern Venezuela, two more deaths were reported, with five individuals still missing and approximately 25,000 people affected by heavy rainfall from Beryl.
In Grenada, one of the fatalities occurred when a tree fell on a house, as revealed by Kerryne James, the environment minister. James emphasised that Carriacou and Petit Martinique bore the brunt of the storm, with numerous homes and businesses destroyed in Carriacou.
Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell described the situation as "grim," during a news conference on Tuesday. He stated: "There is no power, and there is almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island. The roads are not passable, and in many instances they are cut off because of the large quantity of debris strewn all over the streets."