Hurricane Beryl killed at least four people across multiple Caribbean islands before strengthening to a Category 5 storm Tuesday morning.
Three deaths were reported in Grenada and a fourth in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to local authorities.
Some areas heavily impacted by the storm were still impassable Tuesday afternoon.
“The possibility that there may be more fatalities remains a grim reality as movement is still highly restricted,” Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said. “The situation is grim.”
The worst damage occurred on the Grenadian island of Carriacou, where nearly all power was knocked out and several homes and buildings were completely destroyed. Downed trees and scattered debris made travel on the island nearly impossible.
Beryl continued steaming through the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, with sustained winds up to 160 mph. The storm was expected to lose strength before slamming into Jamaica early Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
However, Beryl is predicted to remain a Category 3 or 4 storm throughout the week, crushing Jamaica and impacting Haiti before reaching Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, according to the NHC.
“I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said late Monday. “It is, however, not a time to panic.”
Beryl was already the earliest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic Ocean in recorded history and is now the earliest Category 5 storm as well.
Prior to this week, the earliest Category 5 storm was Hurricane Emily, which reached that status on July 16, 2005. That year also saw the earliest Category 4 storm, Hurricane Dennis on July 8.
The 2005 hurricane season eventually became one of the deadliest on record, as it included Hurricane Katrina that August and Hurricane Stan, which devastated Guatemala in October.
With News Wire Services
