Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula southeast of Cancun in the early morning of July 5, and the most recent forecasts project it will turn north and head for Texas.
Large sections of the Yucatan coastline, including popular vacation destinations like Cancun and Cozumel, are under a hurricane warning, and a hurricane watch is in effect for the stretch of coastline south of Puerto Costa Maya to Chetumal and north of Cancun to Campeche
Tropical storm warnings also remain in effect for other parts of the peninsula.
Storm surge is expected to raise the water level by four to six feet in areas facing onshore winds. Dangerous surf is also expected to accompany the surge.
The NHC is projecting rainfall totals of four to six inches, with isolated incidents of up to 10 inches. Flash flooding is also expected in some areas of Mexico and Texas.
Texas Bound
Once Hurricane Beryl enters the Gulf of Mexico, the NHC is projecting it will head toward Texas. As of the 7 a.m. CDT advisory, the city of Brownsville, and SpaceX’s nearby Starbase at Boca Chica, are in the middle of “the cone of uncertainty.”The storm is expected to make landfall around 1 a.m. CDT on Monday, July 8.
On July 4, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to increase the readiness level of the emergency operations center to level two (escalated response conditions) at 10 a.m. on July 5, and to begin preparing state emergency response resources for potential deployment ahead of the storm’s arrival.
“Texas is prepared to quickly deploy all available emergency response resources to assist at-risk communities,“ Mr. Abbott said in a statement. ”As Texans and visitors around the south coastal areas begin to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, I urge them to make an emergency plan, review hurricane evacuation routes, and continue to monitor weather conditions to ensure the safety of themselves and their loved ones.”
The last hurricane to affect Brownsville and the Rio Grande Valley area was Hurricane Alex in 2010, which hit Mexico 100 miles south of Brownsville. Before that, Hurricane Dolly hit southern Texas in 2008, causing an estimated $1 billion in damages due to rain and flooding.
Hurricane Beryl has the potential to be the first hurricane or tropical storm that SpaceX’s Starbase has had to endure since its construction. The launch complex serves as the base of operations for Elon Musk’s Starship system.
The Epoch Times reached out to SpaceX for details on how they plan to endure the possible storm.
Jamaica, Windward Islands Begin Recovery
Over the past several days, Hurricane Beryl made its way across the southern Caribbean, strengthening into the earliest-recorded Category 5 storm and bringing hurricane conditions to the Windward Islands, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands.As of July 3, seven people across the Caribbean were reported killed: three in Grenada and Carriacou, one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and three others in northern Venezuela.
Severe damage has also been dealt to homes and fishing boats throughout Beryl’s path, from Barbados to Jamaica.
There are signs of regular life already resuming, as St. George’s University on the island of Grenada announced that classes would restart on July 4, with faculty and staff being called back on July 3. However, the university said it understands that some faculty and staff “may still have extenuating circumstances,” including storm damage to homes and transport issues.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the local government in Kingston and Jamaica, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency for more information on the sustained damage and ongoing recovery efforts.
