Category 3 Hurricane Beryl wreaked havoc across several Caribbean islands, claiming at least seven lives. The storm tore through the region, causing widespread destruction. In Jamaica, Beryl ripped off roofs and left over 400,000 people without power.

The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper reported the extensive damage, citing a public service company. The hurricane also inflicted severe damage in St Vincent and the Grenadines, where 95 per cent of homes on two islands were either damaged or destroyed.

Now, Hurricane Beryl is on a collision course with Mexico’s Caribbean coast. The storm, which had weakened to a Category 3 hurricane by early Thursday, remained a significant threat.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that although further weakening was expected, Beryl was likely to remain a hurricane until it made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula. In Playa del Carmen, businesses shut down, and many began boarding up windows in anticipation.

In Tulum, the Mexican Navy took to the streets, advising tourists in both Spanish and English to prepare for the storm’s arrival. Early Thursday morning, the hurricane’s center was approximately 95 miles west-southwest of Grand Cayman and 330 miles east-southeast of Tulum. With constant winds reaching 115 mph and moving west-northwest at 18 mph, Beryl posed a considerable threat.

Laura Velazquez, head of Mexico’s civil defense agency, stated that Beryl was expected to hit a relatively unpopulated stretch of Mexico’s Caribbean coast south of Tulum as a Category 1 hurricane early Friday. However, once the storm re-emerges into the Gulf of Mexico, it is likely to regain strength and potentially reach hurricane status again.

Velazquez warned that Category 3 Hurricane Beryl could strike near the Mexico-US border at Matamoros. This area had already experienced significant rainfall from Tropical Storm Alberto in June, raising concerns about further flooding and damage. Preparations are underway, with authorities and residents taking necessary precautions to mitigate the hurricane’s impact.

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