Hurricane Beryl: Many Jamaicans without power after storm thunders through

Many homes in Jamaica are currently experiencing power outages as a result of Hurricane Beryl passing along the southern coast of the island on Wednesday night.

The severe storm, classified as category four and one of the strongest ever seen in the country, has caused over 12 hours of intense rainfall, raising fears of sudden flooding.

The curfew across the entire island has been extended until 06:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Thursday. Although the hurricane warning has been lifted, a flash flood watch is now in effect.

After dawn breaks and the restrictions are lifted, people can finally step outdoors and assess the extent of the destruction.

Beryl has lost strength and is now classified as a category three storm. The storm is moving in the direction of the Cayman Islands and southern Mexico, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

But it has caused widespread destruction throughout the Caribbean, resulting in the loss of life for at least seven individuals.

In Kingston, the winds were very powerful, but they weren't as strong as the hurricane winds that were predicted. However, the excessive rain is worrying, especially for farmers dealing with flooding on their land.

A person living in a small farming town shared with Reuters news agency: "It's really bad. I've lost everything. I'm at home and feeling afraid."

"It's a catastrophe," exclaimed Amoy Wellington, a resident of St Elizabeth in the southern part of the country.

Last night, I stepped outside for a moment to relocate my car due to the trees looming overhead.

There was a large mirror on the ground near the car, likely blown off a balcony. It served as a cautionary tale of how strong winds can turn random objects into dangerous projectiles.

The electricity supplier, JPS, reported that 65% - or approximately 400,000 of its clients - were experiencing power outages on Thursday morning.

The hurricane has caused "major damage" to some areas of the island, according to the Member of Parliament representing St Elizabeth South Western.

On X, Floyd Green shared on social media that in his area, a lot of roofs have been blown off, houses wrecked, trees torn from the ground, electricity poles knocked down, and most of the roads are blocked.

News from the Caribbean says that the United Nations has released $4 million from its emergency fund to assist with the recovery efforts in Jamaica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, expressed his gratitude on his social media platform to the brave individuals who have been helping others during this challenging time. This includes first responders, essential workers, security personnel, and kind-hearted strangers.

"He reassured us that this difficult situation will come to an end, and we will bounce back," he mentioned.

Beryl is currently moving quickly towards the Cayman Islands, where the National Hurricane Center has cautioned that there will be strong winds, hazardous storm surge, and destructive waves.

The tourism minister of the islands, Kenneth Bryan, informed the BBC that although most residents can endure the strong winds, the primary worry is the flooding caused by the storm.

Hurricane Beryl has already brought destruction to Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and northern Venezuela. At least seven people have lost their lives because of the storm.

It was the first category five hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean in about 100 years, possibly due to the increased temperatures of the ocean's surface.

Meteorologists were surprised by how quickly the storm grew stronger, going from a mild tropical depression to a powerful hurricane in just 42 hours.

More information provided by Alex Smith and Tiffany Wertheimer contributed to this blog post.