A powerful hurricane has hit Jamaica with heavy winds and rain, damaging buildings and felling trees on the Caribbean island.
Beryl – a category four storm with winds of up to 130mph (215km/h) – struck the island’s southern coast.
An island-wide curfew was to be imposed. And an evacuation order was issued for flood- and landslide-prone parts of the country.
At least seven people have been killed so far as the storm sweeps through the Caribbean.
Three people died in Grenada, where it first made landfall on Monday, one in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and another three in northern Venezuela, which was hit by strong winds and flooding.
About 90% of homes were destroyed or severely damaged on Union Island, part of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The storm knocked out power to Kingston and some communities on the island’s northern part, thanks to downed utility poles and trees.
Before Beryl, a Category 4 storm that has so far killed seven people, arrived in Jamaica’s capital city, people could be seen boarding windows and pulling boats from the water.
A hurricane warning is in effect in Jamaica, where the authorities have imposed a curfew from 06:00 to 18:00 local time (11:00-23:00 GMT).
“We can do as much as we can do, as humanly possible, and we leave the rest in the hands of God,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said.
Conditions include strong wind gusts and storm surge of 0.3 to 2.7 meters over typical tides with possible destructive waves atop it. Ten to 20 centimeters of rain will pelt most of the country, maxing at 30 centimeters in some areas, which could cause mudslides and flash flooding.
