Mexico on alert as Hurricane Beryl approaches

Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations are under red alert as Hurricane Beryl strengthens into a Category 3 storm after leaving a trail of devastation across several Caribbean islands.

According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), Beryl reached the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday morning with winds of up to 185 km/h and warned of a dangerous storm surge and destructive waves.

Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency issued a “red alert” and urged people to stay in their homes or shelters as the storm approached popular coastal tourist destinations such as Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Tulum and Puerto Morelos.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged people in the path of the storm to seek shelter after the weather service predicted heavy to torrential rains that could trigger landslides and floods.

“No hesitation. Material things can be recovered. The most important thing is life,” the president wrote on social media.

The storm swept through the Cayman Islands earlier Thursday after battering Jamaica with winds that ripped apart buildings and uprooted trees.

According to authorities, at least 11 people have died in the storm in Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and northern Venezuela.

The death toll could rise as communications are restored and new reports come in from islands devastated by floods and strong winds.

The entire state of Quintana Roo, home to Mexico’s most popular tourist destination Cancun, was preparing for the storm, Governor Mara Lezama said in a video posted on X.

“We should take all necessary precautionary and preventive measures because the wind and rain will be felt throughout the state. No one should leave their homes at this time,” said Lezama.

At Cancún International Airport, at least 100 flights were canceled on Thursday as tourists rushed to catch the last flights.

In nearby Playa del Carmen, police blocked off beach entrances with yellow tape to deter visitors before Beryl’s arrival.

According to the NHC, the unusually strong hurricane at the start of the season was located about 145 kilometers east-southeast of the Mexican beach resort of Tulum.

On Thursday, the authorities in the Cayman Islands had given the all-clear after they had been spared the worst of the storm.

Beryl weakened on Thursday after passing off the south coast of Jamaica late Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 storm on the five-level Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Two deaths in Jamaica were linked to the storm, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told CBC on Thursday.

About 70 percent of the National Water Commission’s 400,000 customers do not have access to water, a company spokesman said.

Nevertheless, most Jamaicans are “grateful,” Holness said, having “escaped the worst.”

Beryl is forecast to bring 10-15 cm of rain to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula through Friday, with up to 25 cm in some areas.

The hurricane center expects the storm to weaken rapidly as it crosses the peninsula early Friday, but is expected to regain strength as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm is expected to move toward northeastern Mexico and southern Texas late this weekend.

On Thursday, about 3,000 tourists were brought back from the holiday island of Isla Mujeres to the mainland near Cancun, said the island’s tourism director, Jose Magana.

In the state of Quintana Roo, schools remained closed on Thursday and Friday and about 120 storm shelters were opened in the region.

Tulum residents lined up at gas stations to fill their tanks and auxiliary containers, while hotels and tourist complexes removed loose furniture and appliances.

Beryl is the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season and, at its peak, was the earliest Category 5 storm ever recorded.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an “exceptional” storm season for this year. Scientists believe that human-induced climate change is contributing to extreme weather conditions.

Mexico’s main oil platforms, which are mostly located in the shallow waters of the southern Gulf of Mexico, are not expected to be shut down or otherwise impacted.