Hurricane Beryl ravages Caribbean islands

News7f July 3, 2024

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Hurricane Beryl ravages Caribbean islands

Getty Images Damaged boats at the Bridgetown Fish Market, Barbados

Hurricane Beryl has swept through the Caribbean with winds of up to 240km/h (150mph), ripping off roofs, uprooting trees and devastating islands in its path.

At least six people are known to have died across Grenada and St Vincent, and thousands were left homeless after the category five storm made landfall on Tuesday.

The storm was later downgraded to a category four, but the US National Hurricane Center still warned of “life-threatening winds and storm surge” in Jamaica late Wednesday and the Cayman Islands on Thursday.

Reuters A man walks along a street littered with debris

The storm destroyed homes and businesses in the Hastings neighborhood of Bridgetown, Barbados, on Monday.

BARBADOS GOVERNMENT HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Men pull ropes tied to damaged boats stacked on the docks

Images shared by the Barbados Government Information Service show damage to fishing vessels as fishermen attempt to save their fleet.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Fishermen push a blue boat that was pushed against the harbour wall

Reuters Space footage of the storm shows white clouds swirling over the curve of the Earth

Images of Hurricane Beryl from the International Space Station show the scale of the storm as it spreads across the southern Caribbean.

Reuters Dozens of smashed and collapsed houses were scattered everywhere

One resident told the BBC that “there are hardly any buildings left intact” on Union Island.

Houses destroyed by the storm on Carriacou island in the Grenadine archipelago.

Reuters Pirate-style party boat Pearl leans against rocks with apparent damage

In St Lucia, the party cruise ship The Pearl, a popular nightlife spot, was ripped from its moorings and smashed into rocks.

Reuters Benches, tables, boats, rocks and sand piled up in front of riverside businesses

Sand, rocks and furniture were thrown at waterfront businesses in Soufriere, St Lucia.

Shutterstock A man stands on rocks against a background of waves and sea foam

A thrill seeker got close to the water’s edge as the storm approached the Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

Reuters An uprooted tree with red, yellow and green paint around its base in front of a yellow and blue building without a roof

Roofless houses after Hurricane Beryl passed through the town of Sauteurs, Grenada.

EPA An employee blocks a road on a promenade in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The full force of Hurricane Beryl has passed south and southwest of the Dominican Republic, but winds and rains were still strong enough to close roads and displace dozens of people.