When it comes to hurricanes historically, Tobago has had more experience with them than Trinidadians. But when we cross these borders, you can find a Trini in any space, and some of them spent a few scary hours riding out Beryl as she travelled the region.
As the fastest-developing Category Five hurricane in history, there was a lot of concern about what Beryl would do once it reached landfall. Especially as it had already decimated parts of the Grenadines and Grenada en route to Jamaica. But by the time it reached land, it had already been downgraded to Category 4.
After the winds and rains had ceased and once all clear had been given, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness was counting his blessings.
“Based upon the category of hurricane that hit us; it hit us at a category four, the damage was not what we would have expected,” he said.
“We’re very grateful for that, but there was damage nonetheless.”
Those in the capital, Kingston, seemed to ride out the storm with relatively minimal disruption. This was in contrast to places like St Elizabeth, which appeared to have been badly hit.
Several of the citizens Guardian Media spoke to in Jamaica were students. Sabriana Manick is enrolled at the Caribbean School of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) where she studies Journalism with a minor in Cultural Studies.
She lives off-campus but is still in the surrounding community of Mona. She said that at one point, the entire house began to shake, which was frightening. Despite that, damage to her home in Jamaica was minimal. There were several leaks, and the electricity supply was unstable. President of the Trinidad and Tobago Students Association, Breanna Bethal told Guardian Media that the students who lived off-campus had a tougher experience. They were the ones who felt at least part of the system’s wrath, a force unlike what many would have been accustomed to had they been in Trinidad.
They told her that the experience scared them, and almost a day later, many were still without electricity. Students living on campus seemed to have a completely different experience. Bethal said while many were frightened at first because they were accustomed to hurricanes “bypassing Trinidad,” ultimately that fear subsided because Kingston was not among the places badly hit. Students were told to stay inside and to keep their documents and important items close in case an evacuation became necessary.
But for the most part, aside from classes being cancelled, they did not face any disruptions. She said students were now actively working to support recovery efforts in the parish of St Elizabeth, known as the breadbasket of the island, which was very badly hit.
As the system continued making its way through the Caribbean towards the United States, the next country in its path was the Cayman Islands. Beryl had already been downgraded to a category three system by then, but still brought with it a significant amount of wind, rain, and storm surge.
Journalist with the Cayman Compass, Reshma Ragoonath said many people took advantage of the offer to move into shelters. Hurricane activity was first felt late on Wednesday evening and continued until the official all-clear was given at 1.10 pm (2.10 pm in Trinidad) yesterday.
A visibly relieved Premier of the Cayman Islands, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, told citizens that she was delighted they had made it to the other side. Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne confirmed the ministry had received few requests for evacuations.
“We had a national (a senior citizen) who was visiting Carriacou and remained there during the hurricane. His adult daughter approached the Ministry for assistance. We established communication with him, provided guidance and connected the family with our excellent Honorary Consul in Grenada. Our national is safely making his way home as we speak,” he said.
However, they are treating with requests to help locate family members in the affected areas.
Browne said, “All available channels have been utilised to make the required connections and to provide information and reassurance where relevant. Such channels include my own telephone exchanges with my counterpart Ministers of Foreign Affairs in both Grenada and St Vincent.”
On a lighter note, there were signs of Jamaicans relieving their stress by dancing in the rain and on top of vehicles in the immediate aftermath of the system. In the Cayman Islands, the country proudly welcomed its first hurricane baby. Ragoonath said that by all reports, both the mother and baby girl were doing fine.