Hurricane Beryl’s 12-hour high winds and heavy rain killed seven residents, flooded roads, destroyed homes and knocked out power across much of Jamaica. The good news is that the island is active again, authorities said.
About 20 percent of Jamaica was severely affected by the Category 4 storm. According to one X commenter: “significant numbers of roofs [got] lost houses [were] destroyed, trees uprooted, light poles downed [and] almost all roads [were] impassable.”
According to the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, the rest of the island has not suffered any major damage and is receiving tourists as usual.
“We can assure the world that 80% of our assets are intact and ready to welcome you. Our visitors came back because they trusted our promises and knew the integrity behind them.” Bartlett said.
No travelers were allowed in Jamaica between July 2 and 3. But after reopening on July 4th the island has already welcomed thousands of tourists, according to official data.
“No tourists arrived in Jamaica on July 2 and 3. But on July 4, we started receiving visitors again. In just seven days [July 4-10], we reached a total of 55,000 visitors,” That’s what Minister Bartlett said.
From January to May, Jamaica broke all historical arrival records with more than 1.7 million visitors.
During this period, the island earned approximately $1.8 billion in tourism revenue, with a “4.6 percent increase in stopovers and a 23 percent increase in cruise passengers.”
Given the destruction of critical infrastructure in a number of Caribbean countries, the UN has allocated $4 million from its Emergency Response Fund to accelerate the reconstruction of affected areas in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica and Grenada.
The latter bore the brunt as the hurricane damaged or destroyed 98 percent of buildings, affecting the livelihoods of more than 6,000 Grenadians.
This is the first time in more than 100 years that an early-season hurricane has become a devastating Category 5 storm, and experts say there will be more to come.
