Jamaica did not suffer any major fallout from Hurricane Beryl late last week and is “open for business,” say tourism officials on the island. Other destinations in the region weren’t so lucky, but one tourism group – One Caribbean Canada – is emphasizing that damage has been devastating, but localized, and that the best way to offer aid is to “keep travelling” and not avoid the region altogether.
The storm cut a swath across the Caribbean last week causing extensive damage in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados, and landed in Mexico on Friday, where it came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane near Tulum/Cancun before being downgraded to tropical before regaining strength and hitting the Texas coast Monday as a category 1 hurricane.
In Jamaica, the island’s Tourism Emergency Operations Centre reported that a limited number of tourists required relocation due to blocked roadways or due to precautionary measures.
“While there have been some reports of fallen trees, debris, flooding and power outages, we are grateful that there has been no wide-scale impact to our general tourism infrastructure,” said tourism minister Edmund Bartlett.
“Jamaica was spared the worst of the hurricane and we have now returned to regular business operations,” said Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association president Nicola Madden-Greig, who rode out the storm at her office in Kingston. She reported that airports in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Kingston were re-opened Friday.
She added, “We have no reports of any guests being injured during the passage of the storm, and the majority of the hotels and the tourism industry in general have emerged unscathed.”
Cayman
The all-clear has also been issued for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac following the passage of Beryl on Thursday afternoon (July 4), with no reports of injuries to residents or visitors on any of the three Islands.
In providing an update on the tourism sector, Kenneth Bryan, Minister for Tourism and Ports, said “I am thankful that our thorough preparations have paid off and I am pleased to report that all airports and seaports, the Cayman Islands major attractions, hotels, and restaurants have not sustained significant damage. While there may be minor inconveniences due to ongoing clean-up, we expect our tourism sector to be fully operational and ready to welcome new visitors within the next 48 hours.”
“Recognizing that our islands have been extremely fortunate to have experienced only minor damage from this powerful storm, we remain deeply concerned for our Caribbean neighbours who have faced severe destruction,” added Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly.
Regional context
Nancy Drolet, Founder of One Caribbean Canada, stated: “We want to assure the Canadian public that although Hurricane Beryl has indeed been a deadly, strong storm, Beryl has not impacted all Caribbean countries and the best way to help these islands is to continue to travel to them.”
She added, “It’s important to understand the geography of the Caribbean and that there are 30-plus countries in the region. A country may be made up of multiple islands: for example, Grenada is made up of three islands – Grenada itself, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique. While Carriacou and Petite Martinique were severely damaged, the main island of Grenada where most Canadians visit, was virtually unscathed.
Likewise, St. Vincent and The Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands whereby some of their southernmost islands were severely damaged (Union Island, Palm Island, Petit St. Vincent, Canouan, and Mayreau in particular), the main island of St. Vincent had little damage in comparison.
“Although many of the countries in the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles experienced heavy rains and wind damage, only a few experienced severe damage to their infrastructure.”
Drolet emphasized: “The Caribbean has had storms before and are resilient. Where needed, they will build again always with a view to rebuilding using all the newest building codes to ensure less damage occurs with future storms.”
How to help
To that end, One Caribbean Canada has created a page on its website of approved and registered charities or approved government disaster relief funds to aid those countries most impacted by Beryl. Global Medic is recognized as a preferred charity where Canadians can either volunteer in person or make financial contributions. In addition, there are suggestions on what items are most needed to help those in Grenada and St. Vincent and The Grenadines who have lost their homes and all their belongings.
“We are constantly updating the website with new, pertinent and most importantly, accurate information,” says Drolet. “We invite Canadians to visit https://onecaribbeancanada.ca/hurricane-updates/ and then help – either by volunteering at Global Medic or by donating tarpaulins or blankets or by making financial contributions so that most needed items can be purchased.”