Hurricane Beryl barged into Texas like an uninvited guest in the early hours of Monday, July 8, leaving a trail of destruction. It had already claimed at least 10 lives during its rampage through the Caribbean. The storm made landfall near Matagorda with winds whipping at 80 mph. Residents were braced for ‘life-threatening’ storm surges and urban flooding, conditions that became all too real.
The National Hurricane Center didn’t hold back in labeling the situation dire. In a post on social media, they warned of powerful storm surges and substantial rainfall causing swift urban flooding. These severe conditions prompted a hurricane warning stretching from Mesquite Bay to Port Bolivar.
In the city of Freeport, east of Matagorda, gusts were clocked at a staggering 92 mph. Rain fell in torrents, inundating southeast Texas with two to four inches per hour. Photos shared online by Rosenburg Police revealed flooded streets and water rescues, painting a vivid picture of the chaos.
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Power outages were rampant, affecting at least 487,000 people. As communicated by poweroutages.us, the power grids were severely compromised. Predictions indicated that Beryl would decrease in intensity as it traversed northward through eastern Texas over the ensuing hours.
Prior to hitting Texas, Hurricane Beryl had already ravaged Jamaica and the Cayman Islands as a potent Category 5 storm. By July 4, confirmed fatalities mounted to ten, as reported by Reuters.
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Safety measures were in full swing by July 5, with warnings and watches in effect along the Texas-Mexico border and coastal regions from the Rio Grande to Corpus Christi. The NHC stressed the escalating danger of hurricane-force winds and destructive storm surges that threatened the region.
Predictions were grim, with expectations of heavy rainfall ranging from five to ten inches and localized downpours of up to 15 inches. These hefty rainfalls were on track to exacerbate flash flooding, particularly in city environments.
Initial impacts of Beryl had already wreaked havoc across the Caribbean islands. It tore through Jamaica and the Cayman Islands with lethal force, resulting in at least seven deaths by July 4, as per the Associated Press.
Particularly hard-hit were Grenada and Carriacou, where three fatalities were confirmed. St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela also reported loss of lives.
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The New York Times detailed the extensive damage in Grenada, noting that 98% of buildings on Carriacou and Petite Martinique were destroyed, including the airport and the main medical facility, Princess Royal Hospital.
The island’s residents were plunged into darkness and isolation without electricity or communication services. Hurricane Beryl set a grim record as the first major storm of the 2024 season, the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, according to Reuters.
