Is it safe to travel to the Caribbean? Hurricane Beryl travel advice

Hurricane Beryl has reportedly destroyed 90 per cent of homes on Union Island as it roared through the south-east Caribbean, killing at least six people, with Jamaica next in its path.

The prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, said that most homes on Union Island were destroyed, and that "similar levels of devastation" were expected on the islands of Myreau and Canouan.

Several people were evacuated from Union Island via ferry and arrived in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday.

Sharon DeRoche, one of the evacuees, said Union Island is in a terrible state. She waited out the hurricane in her bathroom before she fled.

"It was a hard four hours battling with six of us in that little area," she said.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

Beryl is losing intensity but is forecast to still be near major-hurricane strength when it passes Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Thursday and into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Beryl was roaring by Jamaica on Wednesday, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain after the powerful category 4 storm earlier killed at least seven people and caused significant damage in the south-east Caribbean.

The US National Hurricane Center said Beryl's eyewall was "brushing the south coast of Jamaica".

Wind-whipped rain pounded the island for hours as residents heeded authorities' call to shelter until the storm had passed. Power was knocked out in much of the capital.

The prime minister, Andrew Holness, said on Wednesday afternoon that nearly 500 people were placed in shelters. By the evening, he said that Jamaica has not seen the "worst of what could possibly happen".

Heavy rains of four to eight inches, with up to a foot in isolated areas, threatened flash flooding and mudslides on the mountainous island.

As Beryl barrelled through the Caribbean Sea, rescue crews in south-eastern islands fanned out to determine the extent of the damage the hurricane inflicted on Carriacou, an island in Grenada.

Michelle Forbes, the St Vincent and Grenadines director of the National Emergency Management Organisation, said that about 95 per cent of homes in Mayreau and Union Island have been damaged by Hurricane Beryl.

Three people were reported killed in Grenada and Carriacou and another in St Vincent and the Grenadines, officials said. One fatality in Grenada occurred after a tree fell on a house, Kerryne James, the environment minister, told the Associated Press.

Grenada’s prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, said on Tuesday there was no power, roads are impassable and the possible rise of the death toll "remains a grim reality".

Three other deaths were reported in northern Venezuela, where five people are missing, officials said. About 25,000 people in that area also were affected by heavy rainfall from Beryl.

Beryl is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica, where officials warned residents in flood-prone areas to prepare for evacuation.

"I am encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat," the country’s prime minister said in a public address Tuesday. "It is, however, not a time to panic."

But if you have a holiday booked to the area soon, where do you stand? Here is what we know.

Is it safe to travel to the Caribbean? 

The storm has proved highly destructive so far, with winds of up to 155 mph recorded on Grenada. Multiple airports in the region have been closed, so it’s best to contact your travel provider if you have a trip booked to the Caribbean.

The Foreign Office said: “A major hurricane moving through the Caribbean has impacted services in Barbados. Grantley Adams International Airport and Bridgetown Port reopened on 2 July 2024 with the resumption of commercial flights.

You should follow and monitor local and international weather updates from the US National Hurricane Center and follow the advice of local authorities, including any evacuation orders. See Extreme weather and natural disasters.”

Airports in Jamaica are currently closed.

The Foreign Office added: “ Disruption to services is expected island-wide. International and domestic airports are now closed and will only reopen when assessed safe to do so.”

Where is Hurricane Beryl now?

CNN has a storm tracker map showing exactly where the hurricane has hit and where it is expected to travel to next here.

Early on Thursday the most recent data suggested the storm is rated at a category 3 and was in the centre of the Caribbean Sea.

Winds are moving west, and are currently measured at 120mph.

Tropical force winds are expected to still hit Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. There is also a concern it is making its way towards Mexico.

For the latest as it develops, click here.