Authorities in Texas are advising those living on the coast to prepare for potential impact from storm Beryl, which is forecasted to evolve into a hurricane upon reaching the heated waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It’s anticipated to make landfall along the Texas shoreline sometime on Monday, according to senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven at the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami. Beryl is likely to be a category one storm.
Being the earliest to morph into a category five hurricane in the Atlantic, Beryl claimed a minimum of 11 lives during its passage over the Caribbean islands earlier in the week. The storm subsequently struck Mexico as a category two hurricane, uprooting trees but inflicting no harm or fatalities. It later downgraded to a tropical storm as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula.
The NHC forecasts Beryl to heighten before it reaches land, leading to wider hurricane and storm surge watches. On Sunday, the NHC expects to declare a regular hurricane warning, cited Mr Beven. The storm is poised to cause hazardous surges on the Texas coast, hurricane-like gusts on a compact area and tropical storm conditions including heavy showers on the majority of the Texas coast.
According to the warnings issued by the centre, there’s a rising risk of harmful winds and potential life-threatening surges in parts of north-eastern Mexico and the lower and middle sections of Texas’s eastern coast by late Sunday and Monday. Texas authorities have requested the state’s coastline residents to be ready for potential flooding, substantial rainfall and strong winds.
In readiness for Beryl, on Saturday, the hurricane was reported to be roughly 740km southeast of Corpus Christi, exhibiting sustained winds of up to 96km/h, as per the NHC. It traced a west-north-west direction at 19km/h.
The acting governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, standing in for Greg Abbott who is on a trip in Taiwan, has issued an advanced disaster warning covering 40 counties. Several coastal cities in Texas have suggested voluntary evacuations in flood-prone areas, imposed prohibitions on beach camping and encouraged those visiting during the Fourth of July holiday to relocate their recreational vehicles from coastal parks.
This week, Beryl wreaked havoc in Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados. Officials confirmed the storm-related deaths of three people each in Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Venezuela, with two more fatalities in Jamaica.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, local authorities relocated some tourists and inhabitants from areas surrounding the Yucatan Peninsula vulnerable to flooding. However, despite these measures, many decided to brave the storm. A significant portion of the area around Tulum, which is just a stone’s throw away from sea level, remains populated.
The city fell into pitch darkness when the storm made landfall, triggering power shutdowns and setting off car alarms with its fierce winds across the city. Friday dawned with the city and neighbouring regions still being battered by winds and rain, while army units patrolled the streets to clear fallen trees and power cables.
According to Laura Velazquez, the national coordinator of Mexican Civil Protection, there have been no reported casualties so far. Nevertheless, the city of Tulum continues to grapple with significant power outages, with nearly half the city still without electricity. – AP