Hurricane Beryl has intensified into a “potentially catastrophic” Category 5 storm, according to the United States National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Dora would later hammer Puerto Rico on September 30th  this time it killed fifteen people.

Impact on Carriacou and Surrounding Islands

Carriacou took the storm’s “extremely dangerous eyewall, with winds sustained at more than 240 km per hour. Neighboring islands, such as Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, are meanwhile assailed by “catastrophic winds and life-threatening storm surge. “

Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell reported one death on the sister island of Carriacou. 

Much worse was the case with Carriacou and Petite Martinique; communication was largely cut off, and thereby an exact assessment of damage was not possible. Assessment teams, according to Prime Minister Mitchell, will be sent early Tuesday to evaluate the situation.

Approaching Jamaica

The storm will be seen off Jamaica by Wednesday. The Jamaican government has issued a hurricane warning, and tropical storm warnings are in place for parts of the southern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Climate Change Connection

The scientists assume that this sudden strengthening in extraordinary storms is caused by global warming. The fear among meteorologists has been that even increased hurricane activity might be linked to climate change. According to meteorologists such as Professor Chris Rozossov at NASA’s national weather center, there has been increased activity on sea routes around the world since the beginning of the century due to climate change. Andra Garner, a meteorologist in New Jersey, said that Beryl went from a Category 1 to Category 4 in less than 10 hours and considers this a reason storm intensity is rising due to warmer water temperatures.

The U.S. National Weather Service forecast for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season called for “above normal activity” because of warm water.

Preparation

A lot of citizens of Kingston in Jamaica took the threat lightly. According to one waiter from the Chillin’ restaurant, Welton Anderson, panic sets in only at the very last minute. In this part of the world people have begun boarding up houses, stockpiling foodstuffs and filling up tanks all over the east coast.

The Federal Government issued a warning urging extreme caution on all travelers crossing Lake Superior in case it should become necessary to evacuate them by air or sea.

Conclusion

The strength and growth of Hurricane Beryl are unprecedented, underpinning the increasing threat that powerful storms cause as a result of rising climate change. As Beryl approaches the territory of Jamaica and other areas, it must be ensured that authorities are taking all precautions.