Panama City, Geneva, 4 July 2024 – Hurricane Beryl, the earliest hurricane to reach category five intensity in the Atlantic Ocean, has caused unprecedented devastation across the Caribbean, making its destructive path through Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, Barbados, and Jamaica. 
 
This unprecedented early-season hurricane underscores the new reality of the climate crises that Caribbean small island nations face: storms are more likely to rapidly intensify and become stronger, causing severe destruction and giving communities less time to recover in between shocks. The hotter-than-normal water temperatures in the southern Atlantic and Caribbean are acting as fuel for storms, causing them to intensify very quickly into major hurricanes –category three or superior.

In Jamaica, the Red Cross has already pre-positioned supplies to all branches in anticipation of a possible humanitarian response. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica and Barbados, local Red Cross teams are already on the ground providing life-saving assistance despite significant challenges in accessing the affected areas, most of which are scattered and isolated.

"Hygiene kits, cleaning kits, tool kits, kitchen sets, tarpaulins, blankets and mosquito nets have already been dispatched to the hardest hit islands to meet the immediate needs of the affected population. In the coming days, we will have a clearer picture of the full impact of Beryl on people’s physical and mental health and livelihoods. Still, rapid damage assessments show that the devastation is massive," says Rhea Pierre, IFRC Disaster Manager for the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.

The storm first impacted Barbados, causing severe damage to the south coast and significantly affecting the fishing industry, with over 200 fishing vessels damaged or destroyed. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 90 percent of infrastructure has been damaged, including houses, roads, and the airport terminal on Union Island. Communication with the Southern Grenadines remains disrupted, and access to basic services is still limited.

While in Grenada, Beryl made landfall in Carriacou as a Category 4 hurricane, damaging 95 percent of homes in Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The state of emergency remains in place, with 3,000 people in shelters. The Grenada Red Cross is distributing relief items and coordinating with authorities to restore communication and power services. In Dominica, residents need shelter after being forced to relocate. The Dominica Red Cross has distributed relief supplies to the most affected, especially in the Baytown Area.

“By deploying community-based disaster response teams and pre-positioning supplies, we have been able to respond quickly, but we are only on day two of Beryl's aftermath, and more support will be needed in the coming weeks and months. From now on, we will be tackling two challenges at once: responding to the operation and preparing communities for the next shock, as the hurricane season is just beginning," Pierre adds.

The IFRC will continue to support local Red Cross teams across the Caribbean and calls on governments, donors and stakeholders to support its response and early action efforts as humanitarian needs continue to grow and the storm season is forecast to be one of the most active on record. 

For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected]

In Panama: 
Susana Arroyo Barrantes: +507 6999-3199 
 
In Geneva: 
Mrinalini Santhanam: +41 76 381 50 06 
Tommaso Della Longa: +41 79 708 43 67