While it has lost significant strength since it made landfall, with maximum sustained winds decreasing to 65 mph, Beryl is expected to regain hurricane status once it is fully over the water and hit southern Texas in the early hours of Monday morning with intense wind, rain, and storm surge. The tropical storm force winds still extend out 105 miles from the storm’s center.
Both a hurricane watch and storm surge watch have already been issued for the Texas Gulf Coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande up to Sargent, Texas.
A hurricane watch is usually issued 48 hours before the first anticipated occurrence of tropical storm force winds, and means that hurricane conditions are possible within the area. A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the area.
Regarding storm surge, the NHC is forecasting that, if peak surge occurs at high tide, water could reach up to five feet above ground in Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorda Bay, and from Baffin Bay to Sargent. The stretch of coastline from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Baffin Bay could get up to four feet of water.
Texas Bound
Once Hurricane Beryl enters the Gulf of Mexico, the NHC is projecting it will head toward Texas. Since the 7 a.m. CDT advisory, the center of the forecasting “cone of uncertainty” has moved north from its previous spot near the city of Brownsville, and SpaceX’s nearby Starbase at Boca Chica.
The storm is still expected to make landfall around 1 a.m. CDT on Monday, July 8.
Some Texas counties have already issued voluntary evacuation orders in low-lying areas, and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued preemptive disaster declarations for 39 counties, allowing the state and local authorities to start planning and contracting for hurricane response.
Officials in Corpus Christi reported distributing 10,000 sandbags in less than two hours on July 5.
Texas’ Chief of State Emergency Operations, Nim Kidd, said that oil companies have started moving oil workers off the rigs that may be in the path of the storm.
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.
Beryl Bears Down on the Yucatan
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 remained in effect for other parts of the peninsula.
Beryl weakened rapidly throughout the day as it unleashed hurricane and tropical storm force winds, more than six inches of expected rainfall, and several feet of storm surge. Power outages were also reported.
By 10 a.m. CDT, sustained winds dropped to 85 mph, and by the 1 p.m. CDT intermediate advisory, its winds were down to 70 mph, below hurricane status.
Strong winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall are expected to continue to hit the Yucatan through the night.
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.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness visited St. Elizabeth parish, one of the worst-affected areas of the island on July 4, and promised a swift relief for residents after Hurricane Beryl.
“I know some of you are experiencing discomfort and displacement, and I want to assure you that the government will move as quickly as we can to get you the help you need,” he said.
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.
