Hurricane Beryl’s 12 hours of fierce winds and heavy rain killed 7 residents, flooded roads, destroyed houses and knocked out power in much of Jamaica. The good news is that the island is back in business, authorities said.
Some 20 percent of Jamaica was badly affected by the Category 4 storm. According to an X commenter, “significant numbers of roofs [got] lost, houses [were] destroyed, trees uprooted, light poles downed [and] almost all roads [were] impassable.”
However, according to Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, the rest of the island did not suffer any major damages and is receiving tourists as usual.
“We can assure the world that 80% of our assets are intact and ready to welcome you. Our visitors returned because they had confidence in our promises, knowing the integrity behind them,” said Bartlett.
No travelers were allowed in Jamaica between July 2 and 3. But after its reopening on July 4, the island has already welcomed thousands of tourists, according to official data.
“On July 2nd and 3rd, we had no tourists arriving in Jamaica. But on the Fourth of July, we started receiving visitors again. In just seven days [July 4-10], we’ve brought in a total of 55,000 visitors,” Minister Bartlett stated.
From January to May, Jamaica broke all historical arrival records when it topped 1.7 million visitors.
During this period, the island earned some $1.8 billion in tourism revenue with a “4.6 percent increase in stopovers and a 23 percent increase in cruise ship passengers.”
Considering the destruction of critical infrastructure in a number of Caribbean countries, the UN allocated $4 million from its emergency response fund to speed up the reconstruction of affected areas in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica and Grenada.
The last one took the full brunt as the hurricane damaged or destroyed 98 percent of its buildings, impacting the livelihoods of over 6,000 Grenadians.
This is the first time that an early-season hurricane becomes a devastating Category 5 storm in over 100 years, and more are coming, according to experts.