Hurricane Beryl Devastates Caribbean Islands; 3M Children at Risk

Hurricane Beryl, the first major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, has left a trail of destruction across the eastern Caribbean before setting its sights on the Cayman Islands. UN agencies have sounded alarm on the level of damage caused and the vast number of victims, particularly children.

Beryl, the earliest-forming Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record reached a record-breaking Category 5 intensity earlier this month. It slammed into the island of Carriacou in Grenada on July 1st as a Category 4 hurricane, causing widespread devastation.

At least 18 people have been confirmed dead across the region, with damage estimates exceeding $1 billion.

After battering Grenada and other Windward Islands, Beryl continued to intensify, reaching its peak winds of 165 mph early on July 2nd. The powerful hurricane then weakened slightly but remained a Category 4 storm as it brushed Jamaica’s south coast on July 3rd.

As of this morning, Beryl is churning westward towards the Cayman Islands, where residents are bracing for potential hurricane-force winds and dangerous storm surge. The storm is expected to make landfall later today.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday that more than 200,000 people will be affected by Hurricane Beryl, which is ripping through the southeast Caribbean.

UNICEF and partners have pre-positioned life-saving supplies and stand ready to provide services to children and families in several countries.

The winds, torrential rains and flash flooding could put at least 3 million children in the Caribbean at risk, according to UNICEF estimates.

In 2023, the Atlantic hurricane season with 20 named storms collectively caused 20 fatalities, with an overall damage amounting to over $4.19 billion.