Empty bread shelves, long lines: Jamaica bracing up for Hurricane Beryl

Jamaica: Empty bread shelves and long lines were noticeable in supermarkets in St Andrew as the citizens of Jamaica are preparing for Hurricane Beryl. As per reports, Beryl which has turned to Category 5 is projected to begin impacting the country with flash flooding and heavy rainfall on Wednesday.

The wind speed of the Beryl has increased to 165 mph with a Category 5 hurricane fast approaching Jamaica, likely to bring destruction. The Hurricane Warnings have been issued for the country as it barreled through the southeastern Caribbean.

According to the National Hurricane Centre, the hurricane has so far impacted the islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada with the destruction of the infrastructure, homes of the citizens, livelihoods and lives.

One life has been lost in the storm at St Vincent and the Grenadines and Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves noted that there could be more fatalities.

For Jamaica, the same situation has been posing threats as areas such as St Ann, Montego Bay, and others are likely to record flash flooding and other destruction if severe storm hit the country. The wind speed has been increasing while approaching Jamaica and the national emergency responses are on alert against the situation.

The Jamaica Public Service has also activated its resources against the natural calamity and stated that there could be the situation of the issue of the power outage. In response to its power delivery infrastructure, the service has been preparing its resources to assist the people with the supply of alternative measures such as candles, flashlights, and lamps.

The company also assured the customers that in the event of a loss of power supply, and they will made every effort to restore the service safely in the shortest possible time. They also urged the customers and members of the public to stay safe before, during and after the passage of the weather system.