Hurricane Beryl continues to strengthen as it nears land

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Hurricane Beryl is expected to remain an “extremely dangerous” category 4 storm as residents in Barbados and the Windward Islands were engaged in last-minute preparations on Sunday for its passage within the next few hours.

Many people rushed to supermarkets and motorists were lining up outside gas stations in preparation for the storm.

Grenada's Governor General, Dame Cécile La Grenade, is to declare a state of emergency that goes into effect from 7.00 p.m. (local time) and last for the next seven days, while St Lucia has already announced that there will be a total shutdown of the island from 8.30 p.m. (local time).

The Grantley Adams International Airport In Barbados will be closed from 7:00 p.m. (local time) “until further notice”.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said Sunday that the hurricane “will blow off a lot of roofs” as the authorities in all the countries to be affected by the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season, urged citizens to move to approved shelters and take all the necessary precautions to save lives.

The Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Farley Augustine, has declared a state of emergency and that all hospitals on the sister isle will only be dealing with accident and emergency cases.

Schools in Trinidad and Tobago will be closed on Monday.

CARICOM leaders, who were due to hold their three-day 47th regular meeting in Grenada from Wednesday said it is being postponed “to a date to be determined".

The Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines (CAL) Sunday announced the cancellation of several flights on Monday with all domestic flights being grounded.

“Caribbean Airlines is expected to resume domestic operations in the afternoon period of Monday, July 1, weather conditions permitting,” it said.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the “extremely dangerous” hurricane is approaching the islands with “life-threatening winds and storm surge” that would begin early on Monday morning.

The hurricane is located 250 miles south east of Barbados and 350 miles, east south east of St Vincent, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour (mph).

It is moving forward at a speed of 18 mph, down from the 21 mph it had been recording over the last few hours.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Tobago, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for the French island of Martinique.

A tropical storm watch has gone into effect for Dominica and Trinidad with the government of the Dominican Republic issuing a tropical storm watch from Punta Palenque westward to the border with Haiti.

A tropical storm watch has also been issued for the entire south coast of Haiti from the border of the Dominican Republic to Anse d'Hainault.

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