Hurricane Beryl devastates St Vincent and the Grenadines, lead to one death

As Hurricane Beryl strengthens to Category 5, St Vincent and the Grenadines face immense destruction and devastation. As per the reports, the island nation has sustained huge damages due to the passage of Hurricane Beryl’s damaging winds which has also led to the death of one individual.

The Hurricane Beryl has caused destruction to the various buildings of the island nation be it churches, schools and private residences. According to the details, significant roof damage has been reported at two schools of Kingstown namely Bishops College Kingstown Secondary and St. Joseph Convent Kingstown.

Notably, the Beryl became the earliest Category 5 Hurricane on Monday night when its winds increased to 160 mph. As per the National Hurricane Centre, the storm surge in the windward islands could reach 6 to 9 ft above normal tide levels, resulted in bringing large destructive waves to the coast.

Moreover, the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves addressed the nation following the passage of Hurricane Beryl. He stated that it is very disheartening to receive such reports out of Union Island and the Southern Grenadines. However, he has assured the citizens of the island nation that their agencies are desperately making measures to reestablish their communications with certain sections and ascertain the extent of damage to the mainland.

He also shed light on the damages being faced by the island nation, he asserted that Union Island airport lost its roof which made landfall on neighbouring Carriacou island. He also remarked that the Southern Grenadine Island of Union Island was completely devastated, which resulted in severe damages or destruction to 90% of houses.

The damages to the other islands including, Bequia, Canaoun and Mayreau is yet to be determined. Also, the Prime Minister has stated that they will soon begin the rebuilding process and for that they will meet National Emergency Management Organization headquarters in order to assess the situation and collect resources.

The Argyle International Airport has also faced some damages to its fence on the northern side which is reported to get fixed by Tuesday so that it can be open again to start back its operations.

In addition to, PM Gonsalves also mentioned that Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali would also offer necessary resources to help St Vincent and the Grenadines in the reconstruction of houses which were deeply affected by Hurricane Beryl.