Fisherfolk urged to evacuate as Hurricane Beryl approaches the Caribbean
Vanassa McKenzie / Our Today
Fisherfolk are being advised to evacuate Jamaica’s cays and banks immediately and return to the mainland as Hurricane Beryl prepares to enter the Eastern Caribbean.
Small craft operators in coastal waters are being advised to return to port, while small craft operators who are in port are advised not to venture out.
According to the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, around 4:00 am this morning, July 1, the eye of the hurricane was located near latitude 11.7 degrees north and longitude 59.9 degrees west.
This is about 200 kilometers (125) miles east-southeast of Grenada or 1,945 kilometres (1,210 miles) east-southeast of Kingston.
The centre of the category 3 hurricane is predicted to move across the Windward Islands this morning and across the southern and central Caribbean Sea late today through to Wednesday, July 3, when the hurricane nears the island.
Maximum sustained winds are near 195 km/h (120mph), with higher gusts.
“Fluctuations in strength are likely during the next day or so, but Beryl is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as its core moves through the Windward Islands into the eastern Caribbean. Some weakening is expected in the central Caribbean by midweek, through which Beryl is forecast to remain a hurricane,” the MetService said.
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