In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, the strongest Atlantic storm ever to form in the month of June, The Salvation Army’s Caribbean Territory is conducting rapid assessments and planning responses in Jamaica as well as Trinidad and Tobago.
As it tore through the Caribbean Sea and into the Gulf of Mexico, Beryl rapidly developed into a Category 4 hurricane as it traversed the Caribbean and tracked just north of Grenada, with sustained winds of 130 miles per hour (209 kilometres per hour) gusting to 150 mph (241 kph). Beryl then plotted a course just south of Jamaica, causing widespread damage to the southern coast of the small island nation, before clipping the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and setting its sights on the USA state of Texas, where it made its final landfall as a Category 1 hurricane (source: Weather Underground, 2024).
Lieut-Colonel Edward Lyons, Secretary for Business Administration and Property Secretary in the Caribbean Territory, stated, ‘The hurricane brought intense winds, heavy rain and life-threatening storm surges to the south coast of Jamaica, creating widespread destruction of property.’ As the territory responds, urgent financial help will be needed to make a meaningful impact.
Hurricane Beryl also incurred damage to the United States’ mainland, where The Salvation Army’s USA Southern Territory is delivering essential humanitarian aid and support to the southern coast of Texas, especially in the Houston area. In response to the need, eight Salvation Army mobile kitchens and trained disaster teams from San Antonio, New Braunfels, Victoria, Kerrville, Granbury, Bryan/College Station, Conroe and Freeport have been deployed to Houston and the impacted area to assist those in most need (source: The Salvation Army USA Emergency Disaster Services, 2024).