Caribbean nations are warning residents to make emergency preparations with a powerful and potentially deadly hurricane strengthening further as it moves towards them.
Beryl, the first named hurricane of the season, is due to make landfall over a number of islands late on Sunday.
Forecasters said the hurricane is “extremely dangerous” and anticipate it developing into a category four storm – meaning it is predicted to have winds of up to 155mph (250km/h) and storm surge of 6-10ft (1.8-3m).
The major storm is expected to strengthen further as it nears the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Dominica, Grenada and Martinique, among others.
“It’s rare to see a storm rapidly intensify this fast, this early in the season, in this part of the Atantic. Several islands across the Lower Antilles are facing an extreme risk to lives and property,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva warned.
People across the region are preparing by boarding up their homes, queueing for fuel at filling stations and stockpiling supplies and water in preparation for the storm.
In an address to the nation on Saturday night, the prime minister of Barbados urged residents to look out for their friends, family and neighbours when the hurricane lands.
Forecasters say that Hurricane Beryl, which formed Friday night from a tropical storm, already has winds of 130mph as it heads towards the westerly Caribbean islands.
They predict that by the time the storm hits the Windward Islands – made up of Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada – there will be “hurricane-force” winds, a “life-threatening” storm surge and heavy rainfall.
Beryl is the second named storm of the season after Tropical Storm Alberto, which made landfall in north-east Mexico on 20 June. The heavy rains of that storm killed four people.
Source BBC
