Six dead across Caribbean as downgraded Hurricane Beryl heads toward Jamaica

July 2 (UPI) -- Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic, has killed at least six people and caused severe damage after slamming the Caribbean. The downgraded Category 4 storm was heading toward Jamaica on Tuesday with sustained winds of 155 mph.

"Devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected in portions of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Wednesday and Wednesday night," the National Hurricane Center warned, as it forecast up to 12 inches of rain.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's satellites captured the first four days of Beryl, as the storm grew from a "tropical cyclone in the western Atlantic Ocean to a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea."

Since Monday, the hurricane has torn through the island of Cariacou in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Venezuela. At least six people have died, as Cariacou was "flattened" in half-an-hour, according to Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.

Mitchell reported three people were killed in Cariacou on Monday, with another death reported in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Two people were killed in northern Venezuela, according to officials.

At least five other people are missing in Venezuela, according to Remigio Ceballos Ichaso, the Venezuelan minister of Interior Relations.

In addition to the deaths, Beryl's heavy rains and winds have caused landslides, leveled buildings and taken out power systems, as scientists have warned of a more active and extreme hurricane season this year.

Jamaica's two main airports -- Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International Airport in the capital of Kingston -- were closed Tuesday night.

"This decision has been made in the interest of safety for staff and passengers and the protection of airport infrastructure," PAC Kingston Airport said in a statement.

Hundreds of evacuees fled Jamaica on Tuesday for South Florida, at the urging of Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

"I'm encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat, but now is not a time for panic," Holness said.

"We are also continuing our drain-cleaning efforts across the island as we prepare for Hurricane Beryl," Holness added Tuesday in a post on X.

Cruise lines in the Caribbean were rerouting their ships Tuesday night.

"The safety of our guests and crew is paramount," Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement, "and we are continuing to monitor forecasts and factor in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard and local port authorities to provide timely updates to our guests as more information becomes available."

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the United States is ready to provide assistance.

"People, impacted islands and communities are in our prayers, and we stand by to provide assistance to them," Biden said during an event on extreme weather.

"Ignoring climate change is deadly and dangerous and irresponsible," Biden added. "These climate-fueled extreme weather events don't just affect people's lives. They also cost money."

On Tuesday afternoon, NOAA's WP-3d Orion hurricane hunter aircraft flew inside the eye of Hurricane Beryl over the Caribbean, producing some stunning photos in a post on X.