Hurricane Beryl: Many Jamaicans without power after storm passes

Hundreds of thousands of homes in Jamaica remain without power following Hurricane Beryl.

The category four storm – one of the most powerful to ever hit the country – swept across the island’s southern coast on Wednesday night, bringing more than 12 hours of heavy rain.

Authorities and residents assess the damage after an island-wide curfew was lifted early Thursday.

Beryl, now a Category 2 storm, is heading toward Mexico and the Cayman Islands. It has left a devastating trail across the Caribbean, killing at least 10 people.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Venezuela each reported three deaths, while one person died in Jamaica.

The storm destroyed almost all the houses on two small islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Mayreau and Union.

Strong winds and dangerous waves and storm surges are expected to hit the Yucatan Peninsula Friday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center forecast.

The hurricane is expected to bring 4 to 6 inches of rain to the peninsula on Friday, with up to 10 inches of rain in some places.

Here in Kingston, the capital, the winds were extremely strong, but not as violent as expected. But the heavy rains that are hitting farmland are a real cause for concern, especially in flooded areas.

A resident of a rural farming community told Reuters news agency: “It’s terrible. Everything is gone. I’m at home and I’m scared.”

“It’s a disaster,” said Amoy Wellington, who lives in the southern parish of St. Elizabeth.

On Wednesday evening, I was able to go outside briefly to move my car away from the overhanging trees.

A full-length mirror stood next to the car – it had probably been blown off someone’s balcony, a reminder that unexpected objects suddenly become missiles in such strong winds.

Jamaican energy provider JPS said 65% – or about 400,000 of its customers – were without power as of Thursday morning.

The hurricane dealt “a very devastating blow” to parts of the island, the St Elizabeth South Western MP said.

In a statement released on X, Floyd Green said that in his constituency “a significant number of roofs have been lost, houses destroyed, trees uprooted, street lights down, almost all the roads are impassable.”

King Charles III, who is also monarch of several Caribbean nations, said Thursday he was “deeply saddened to learn of the terrible destruction” left by Hurricane Beryl.

The UN has released $4m (£3.1m) from its emergency response fund to help rebuild in Jamaica, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness thanked “first responders, essential services, security forces and good Samaritans who have helped others during this time of crisis” on his X account.

The storm shocked meteorologists by how quickly it intensified: it took just 42 hours for it to go from a tropical depression to a major hurricane.

Additional reporting by Alex Smith and Tiffany Wertheimer