Martinique was awaiting the passage of Hurricane Béryl, the first of the season in the Caribbean, off its southern coasts on Monday with winds that could blow up to 110 km/h in gusts and a strong risk of submersion. Béryl must pass more than 200 km south of the French island, between Grenada and Saint Lucia, according to the latest Météo France bulletin, but “generate a clear deterioration in weather conditions”.
“Its impact on Martinique will be moderate”, specified the prefecture, which consequently decided to “exit the yellow alert level regarding cyclone risk”. However, troughs of 4 to 4.5 m are expected on the Atlantic coast of Martinique and up to 6 m in the Sainte-Lucie channel, and 2.5 to 3.5 m on the southern coast between Sainte-Anne and Le Diamant, as well as heavy rain.
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“Localized submersions due to the sea invading certain beaches or adjoining roads may be observed,” warned Météo France, which decreed orange wave-submersion vigilance.
Postponement of patent tests
The Martinique academy announced on Sunday evening the postponement to a later date throughout the territory of the national patent diploma tests, “in order to provide college students with peaceful conditions for taking the tests.”
The municipalities of François and Saint-Joseph, in the center of the island, have for their part announced the closure of their schools for the day on Monday. “The services will put in place restrictions and monitoring of areas of the territory which are prone to flooding”, announced Maurice Ferné, the director general of services in Fort-de-France. The municipality has also brought forward the first events of a cultural festival planned for this Sunday.
Béryl reached category 4 on Sunday, synonymous with “extremely dangerous” with winds of more than 200 km/h carrying risks “potentially fatal” over the Antilles, announced the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami (United States).
Global warming is making extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, more frequent and more devastating.
State of emergency in Tobago
Beryl’s impact is expected to be greater south of Martinique. A state of emergency has been declared on the island of Tobago, the second largest island and a tourist attraction in the Trinidad and Tobago archipelago. “This island of Tobago is in a state of emergency” declared the island’s chief executive, Farley Augustine, during a press conference on Sunday, specifying that “All public and private schools are closed tomorrow (Monday) and will remain so until further notice.”
Much smaller than Trinidad, the island of Tobago with its spectacular beaches concentrates most of the tourist complexes of the archipelago. “This is a good time to keep phones plugged in and charged. Make sure you have extra batteries for your flashlights, that the lamps have oil […]. If a Category 4 hurricane hits here, we may be without power for several hours,” he added.
Hurricane Beryl could pack winds of more than 215 km/h, said Shakeer Baig, director of the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service, who noted that “Béryl is a hurricane that can put lives in danger.”
In the Dominican Republic, authorities have placed the entire southern coast of the country (nine provinces and the National District) on green alert (there are three levels: green, yellow, red), according to a press release from the Emergency Operations Center (COE ), advising against going to beaches or crossing waterways. This advice concerns in particular the seaside resort of Punta Cana (southeast) and the capital Santo Domingo (south).
