San Juan, Puerto Rico – Officials in the southeast Caribbean are urgently calling for assistance nearly two weeks after Hurricane Beryl devastated the region as a Category 4 storm. The international community has been asked for at least $9 million to provide much-needed food, water, and shelter to the affected areas. Thousands of people in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were left without homes by the storm, which claimed seven lives and caused destruction to schools, businesses, and livelihoods in the region.
Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, described the situation as “Beryl’s Armageddon,” emphasizing the widespread devastation in a matter of hours. The storm, a record-breaking Category 4 hurricane in June in the Atlantic, made landfall on July 1 in Grenada and affected surrounding islands. The hurricane severely damaged power grids, water systems, and essential resources like livestock and fishing equipment, crucial for the livelihoods of many in the affected communities.
Dickon Mitchell, prime minister of Grenada, highlighted the urgent need for financial aid, stating that 90% of buildings, including hospitals and airports, were destroyed on several Grenadian islands. The United Nations has echoed the call for assistance, with $5 million of the total requested going to Grenada and the remainder to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in an effort to support 43,000 people in need.
Simon Springett, U.N. resident coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, emphasized the disruptive impact of the hurricane on lives, attributing it to the increasingly common scale and ferocity of such disasters. Beryl’s rapid intensification from an unnamed depression to a Category 4 storm within 48 hours has raised discussions among scientists about the influence of climate change on hurricanes, with the consensus being that it can lead to more rapid intensification.
Looking ahead, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average 2024 hurricane season, with expectations of 17 to 25 named storms, up to 13 hurricanes, and four major hurricanes. This forecast surpasses the average numbers for an Atlantic hurricane season, which typically sees 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
