‘It’s bad and we have not seen the worst yet.’ Initial damage reports from Beryl

Hurricane Beryl, a monster with 150 mph winds, ripped off roofs, snapped trees and shut down power as it raked the Grenadines and other islands in the southeastern Caribbean on Monday.

“We have reports of extensive storm surge, we have reports of extensive lost of roofs and damage. There is no electricity and communication is also difficult,” Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said in a news briefing after the eye passed over the island of Carriacou.

On Grenada, there were reports of a central police station on Carenage and a hospital also receiving damage. Mitchell said he plans to visit the islands as soon as it is safe to do so, but he has been warned “there was devastation all around.”

It will take days to assess the toll of the Category 4 hurricane on its first powerful strike in the Caribbean but the initial reports described widespread wind and storm surge damage across a number of islands. Meanwhile, heavily populated Jamaica also was bracing for Beryl’s impact sometime Wednesday.

Some of the worst damage appeared to have occurred on the island of Carriacou. Early images shared by Grenadian Ron Redhead, a member of parliament for St. George Northeast, showed a two-story pink house with a blown off second floor, large trees with only part of the trunk standing, and another home with a stripped down to wood framing.

“It’s bad and we have not seen the worst yet. The next few hours are going to be worse,” St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told the Miami Herald in an interview around noon on Monday as the core of the storm approached. “As it reaches close to us, we will be getting the full effect of the hurricane.”

Gonsalves said the eye’s passage over the southern Grenadines “has caused severe damage in Grenada and we are getting the other bands of the wind.”

“We’re getting lots of rains, massive wave action. A lot of houses have lost their roofs and the brunt hasn’t hit us yet,” Gonsalves said. “In Carriacou they’ve lost a lot of roofs, and in Union Islands.”

Wind gusts of 175 mph were registered for Carriacou and Petite Martinique in the southern Grenadines. Beryl hit the southern section of a string of islands known as the Windward Islands as the strongest hurricane recorded this early in the season.

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The population of the largest island of the Grenadine chain, Carriacou, which is about 13 square miles, is estimated at 10,000. Petite Martinique, as its name implies, is much smaller at less than 600 aces and an estimated population of around 900 inhabitants. It is located off the northern tip of Carriacou.

The two islands are among a string of more than two dozen islands and islets that lie between Grenada and St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles. The area’s trade winds, clear water and marine life — whaling is popular among locals in St. Vincent — have made the Grenadines popular among boaters, especially those who enjoy yachting. As Beryl began strengthening Sunday, there was a major exodus by boaters from the waters.

In preparations for the hurricane’s passage, several islands in the storm’s path shut down early on Sunday, which included ceasing all air travel. Ahead of the storm Gonsalves declared a disaster area for the whole country, while Grenada’s government declared a state of emergency.

“It’s bad no question about it, a lot of homes are down, electricity is off. It’s bad, it’s bad,” Gonsalves said.

Beryl’s gusty winds were also felt in Tobago where the coastline was battered with heavy winds and rainfall, leading to some roofs also being ripped off and downed trees. Tobago was under a hurricane warning that was later discontinued.

Though Barbados was bracing itself for the passage of Beryl, the island nation appears to have been spared the worst even as its south coast endured storm surges.

In a post the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown in Barbados reported power outages and flooding in some areas of the island. A popular party boat, the Buccaneer, also sank underneath the violent conditions. In Grenada to the south, the harsh winds brought the water — and fishing boats— in the scenic Carenage inlet to the edge of St. Georges, the capital. The island of Grenada has approximately 125,000 residents, of which about 3,000 took shelter in one of the 100 shelters scattered across the island.

It has been 20 years since Grenada was last hit by a destructive hurricane. In 2004, a Category 3 Hurricane Ivan roared across the southeast Caribbean, killing dozens of people in Grenada before nearly flattening the Cayman Islands as a Category 5 after strengthening. Also affected by Ivan, was Jamaica and the western tip of Cuba.

“Initial reports have indicated significant damage and destruction to infrastructure and private property in some territories,” said Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who currently serves as chairman of the 15-member Caribbean Community regional grouping known as CARICOM. On Sunday, leaders announced a postponement of their regular July meeting that was scheduled to take place Wednesday through Friday in Grenada.

Ali called on Caribbean nationals and members of the business community in the region “to coordinate closely with their respective government” and regional emergency response agencies to provide immediate support and relief to those affected by Beryl.

As Beryl entered the eastern Caribbean on Monday, it also had its sights on Jamaica where its strong winds are expected to bring tsunami-like conditions to the coast with storm surges. On the positive side, the National Hurricane Center said the storm could weaken possibly to a still destructive Category 2 storm as it approaches — though the island would be pr be on Beryl’s stronger side on the current forecast track.

With possible hurricane conditions across Jamaica within the next 48 hours, a Hurricane Watch was put in effect at noon (11 am. Jamaica time).

“On the forecast track, the center of Beryl is expected to continue past the Windward Islands and across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea later today through Wednesday,” Jamaica’s meteorological service said.

Ahead of the Hurricane Watch being issued, commercial fishing operators were urged to evacuate the cays and get out of the water.

In an afternoon press conference, Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his minister in charge of disaster preparedness and emergency management assured the public that the country was ready to respond. Some 870 shelters across the island stand ready and fuel and other stocks were being assessed.

For the time being, there would be no curfew the prime minister said while warning Jamaicans that there could come a time when members of the fire brigade, police and Jamaica Defense Force cannot come to their rescue, so those living in the eastern parts of the island should start taking the necessary steps.

“As a country we must be prepared,” Holness said, calling on Jamaicans who live in low-lying areas and communities prone to flooding to consider evacuating ahead of the storm’s arrival. “The hurricane is on a track to affect significantly the southern end of the island, which means low-lying areas are going to be seriously affected.”

Holness said while he was tracking the storm’s approach toward Jamaica, he was also following its passage in other Caribbean nations via a chat group shared by leaders of the 15-member Caribbean Community regional bloc known as CARICOM.

“I understand that it is fast moving system,” he said. “We will do assessments and damage to those countries, whatever we can do even in our own preparations, we stand ready to assist.”

Among those who did respond was the Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, which announced it was deploying a team to assist Grenada as well as St. Vincent and the Grenadines islands. The assistance will be provided under the framework of the Regional Security System and the Caribbean Disaster Response Unit.

“We always stand with solidarity with and assist each other notwithstanding our extremely resources,” Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne told the Herald, adding his twin-island nation will also be contributing supplies.