See important destination updates below.
Click for statement released by the Grenada Tourism Authority.
UPDATE July 7, 12:15 PM EDT—Tropical Storm Beryl is intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico and heading toward Texas, where more than a million people are under a hurricane warning. Beryl is forecast to make landfall somewhere between Corpus Christi and Houston as a Category 1 hurricane Monday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. It’s expected to bring damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge and dangerous flooding beginning late Sunday.
Beryl killed at least 11 people as it hammered the Caribbean islands last week, and later battered Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The abnormally warm ocean waters that facilitated Beryl’s intensification indicate that this hurricane season will be more destructive than in past years. For updates on Beryl’s path, visit The National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Beryl: Development & History
Beryl reached Category 5 status late Monday—with sustained winds of 165 mph and higher wind gusts—becoming the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever in the Atlantic basin and only the second to occur in July. Early Tuesday, the storm was located about 300 miles southeast of Isla Beata in the Dominican Republic, moving west-northwest at 22 mph.
Beryl was a major Category 4 storm with 150-mph winds when it made landfall on Carriacou Island in Grenada on Monday, causing several deaths and destroying entire communities across the Grenadines and St. Vincent. In addition to Carriacou, hardest hit were Petit Martinique in Grenada, and five of the thirty-two Grenadines islands: Union Island, Bequia, Canouan, Palm Island, and Meru.
The island of Grenada itself largely escaped major damage (see statement below). Islands within the storm’s outer bands, including Barbados and Saint Lucia, reported little to no damage. Beryl left varying degrees of damage in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and the Yucatan Peninsula.
For more information on Lesser Antilles relief efforts, visit the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency’s site, cdema.org.
For more on the storm track, visit the National Hurricane Center, nhc.noaa.gov.
Individuals, businesses and organizations that want to contribute to hurricane relief efforts may make a tax-deductible monetary donation at chtaef.com, a distribution channel organized by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).
Stay tuned to Prevue for ongoing updates.
Update July 2 1:30 p.m. AST: Statement from the Grenada Tourism Authority
The island of Grenada has thankfully largely escaped the effects of Hurricane Beryl and the Maurice Bishop International Airport reopened this morning. The major airlines have already announced the return of their scheduled flights and hotels have also reported that they are fully operational.
However, we’re deeply saddened by the widespread damage, and news of fatalities, on our sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. We are working closely with the emergency services to ensure support and relief efforts are in place as soon as possible, as well as the restoration of vital services.
Our focus remains on ensuring the safety and welfare of those affected by the hurricane and our heartfelt sympathies go out to family and friends at this difficult time.
Hotel & Airport Updates as of July 5
Statement from World of Hyatt Inclusive Collection: We are grateful to confirm that Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection resorts in the Mexican Caribbean remain fully operational with no damage to the following properties after this week’s impact from Hurricane Beryl. The statement goes on to name the 29 properties, including Breathless, Dreams, Hyatt, Impression, Secrets and Sunscape brands.
In addition, both Cancun and Cozumel International Airports were operational, with Tulum International Airport expected to reopen on Sunday, July 7.
Statement from Sandals Resorts: On behalf of all Sandals and Beaches Resorts in the region impacted by Hurricane Beryl, we’re pleased to report that our guests and team members are safe. Our resorts in the storm’s path throughout Jamaica, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, and Grenada remain open, where guests are already enjoying many of the resort amenities as we work to get back to normal. We encourage you to join our efforts by visiting sandalsfoundation.org.
In Jamaica, Half Moon Montego Bay is open to welcome guests and has reported only some fallen trees.
As of 5:30 a.m. July 5, all of Jamaica’s international airports were operating—Sangster International Airport (SIA) in Montego Bay; The Ian Fleming International Airport (IFIA) in Ocho Rios; and Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston. For more information and updates when available, visit VisitJamaica.com.
