Hurricane Beryl strengthened into what experts called an "extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm as it approached the southeast Caribbean, which began shutting down Sunday amid urgent pleas from government officials for people to take shelter.
The storm was expected to make landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday morning. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“This is a very dangerous situation,” warned the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which said that Beryl was “forecast to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge.”
Beryl was located about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Barbados. It had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 18 mph (30 kph). It is a compact storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 35 miles (340 kilometers) from its center.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for Martinique. A tropical storm watch was issued for Dominica, Trinidad, Haiti's entire southern coast, and from Punta Palenque in the Dominican Republic west to the border with Haiti.
Beryl is expected to pass just south of Barbados early Monday and then head into the Caribbean Sea as a major hurricane on a path toward Jamaica. It is expected to weaken by midweek, but still remain a hurricane as it heads toward Mexico.
Long lines formed at gas stations and grocery stores in Barbados and other islands as people rushed to prepare for a storm that rapidly intensified.
Across Barbados, residents are preparing for the storm, and supermarket shelves are emptying fast as people stock up on food and prepare for power outages and flooded streets.
Schools and businesses will remain closed on Monday.
In Kingstown in the island of St. Vincent heavy machinery has been working non-stop to clean the drains in an effort to avoid flooding.
Barbados and St Vincent fishermen hurried to take their boats to dry land as the storm is expected to bring rough seas with big waves.
In Calliaqua in St Vincent, Fisherman Sohan Lucas said it took a lot of effort to bring the boats to land as the work had to be done manually.
Caribbean leaders were preparing not only for Beryl but also for a cluster of thunderstorms trailing the hurricane that has a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression.
------------------
For More News and Videos
SUBSCRIBE and Turn Notifications On
bit.ly/2r0BEND
Get a Digital Subscription to the Tampa Bay Times
bit.ly/2Xinunj
Follow us:
Facebook ► / tampabaycom
X ► / tb_times
Instagram ► / tampabaytimes
TikTok ► / tampabaytimes